


the girl with red hands

by Jules1398



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Ilvermorny, Bucky has short hair bc I love that look, Corruption, Feelings Realization, M/M, Magic, Murder, Steve is an idiot!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-02 00:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14532540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules1398/pseuds/Jules1398
Summary: Notorious murderer and former Ilvermorny student, Wanda Maximoff has suddenly reappeared when the body of a young student was found on the MACUSA floor, posing a threat to Steve's school during his senior year. Steve knows that he has no business poking his nose into something as dangerous as this, but he just wants to keep Bucky safe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> adsjfdlk I'm so excited to start posting my first marvel fic ayy (rip YA fake married fic may you one day become more than an abandoned draft)  
> uhh I haven't seen iw yet so shhhhhhhh  
> I took some liberties with Ilvermorny since we know so little about it. I mostly modeled it after my experience in the American schooling system.  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

If you asked anyone at Ilvermorny what they thought of Wanda Maximoff when they first met her, they would be sure to tell you that she had seemed like such a sweet girl. Steve’s account of interacting with her during their early years at the school would be consistent with this. They were both in Pukwudgie together and she had always been a fairly quiet girl. Sure, they had never been close, but they were friendly at the very least, always greeting one another by name when they passed by in the hallways.

Steve never imagined that Wanda could have a dark side. Nobody could. When she was fifteen and she disappeared from Ilvermorny, people were genuinely worried. Her dad was one of the higher ups at MACUSA and he ordered a nationwide search, but she was never found. Of course, it was obvious what she had been up to a few months later when the bodies began to show up.

Her boyfriend, Jonas, a vampire that lived not far from the school, was one of her first victims, but few cared about him, as he had no remaining family. It was the gruesome death of Mar Danvers that had truly earned Wanda her title: the Scarlet Witch. For the next year or so, every auror in the states was after her and those from other countries were on watch, but her whereabouts were a complete mystery.

The murders stopped and it seemed as if Wanda had completely fallen off the face of the Earth. People returned to their lives, a bit more cautious than before, but still functioning normally. The Scarlet Witch had all but died for most of the magical world.

That is, until Daisy Johnson, better known to Ilvermorny students as Skye, was found on the bloodsoaked floor of MACUSA one morning, her neck snapped.

Steve’s phone slipped out of his hand, dropping to the floor of the Pukwudgie lounge. He couldn’t believe it. Wanda had been gone for two years, yet she suddenly reappeared to kill some sophomore that she had never spoken to, as they never were Ilvermorny students at the same time. He just didn’t understand it. Why would she do such a thing?

“Yo Steve,” Sam called as he walked toward him, munching on a bag of chips. “Your trashboat friend is outside. I think he wants to talk to you, seeing as he asked me to let him in.”

“Why didn’t you let him in?” he asked.

Sam shrugged. “That’s not my job, is it?”

Peter, a freshman in their house, sprung out of his chair. “I can let him in if you want, Steve!” he offered.

Steve laughed and slowly climbed out of his chair. “I’ve got it, Pete. Thanks though.”

He made his way to the door and opened it to reveal his best friend, Bucky, who was wearing a hoodie and shorts, his hair sticking up in each and every direction.

“Did you just wake up?”

“Yes,” Bucky replied as he shoved his way into their lounge, flipping off Sam on his way inside before turning back toward Steve. “Did you see the news?”

“About Wanda?” Steve asked.

“Skye is fucking dead!” he exclaimed. “Just last week I was tutoring her in DADA and now she’s gone. Forever.”

Bucky was shaking, so Steve set a hand on his bicep to calm him down. “Bucky, I’m so sorry, but there isn’t anything that we can do, right? Maybe we should sneak out tonight and go get Mexican or something.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Sam said from the chair he was sitting in. “Next time make plans to break the rules when there isn’t a RA present.”

“I’m a RA too,” Steve pointed out. “But I’m also trying to be a good friend, Sam.”

“Not for long if you sneak out at night,” he replied with a shrug.

Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Don’t give me that, Barnes. I let you get away with a lot of shit,” Sam said. “For example, you’re out of uniform and in the wrong common room.”

“I’m his guest,” Bucky replied. “That’s allowed and you know it, Wilson. Besides, nobody enforces the uniform rule on the weekends.”

“Not yet,” Sam murmured.

“Who do you think the Scarlet Witch is coming after next?” Peter asked. “Do you think it’s going to be another student?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Pete. The aurors are out there doing their best to track Wanda down and keep our school safe,” Steve assured him.

Bucky snorted. “You really think that the aurors are going to magically stop her after all these years?”

Peter stared at him with wide eyes and Sam was glaring at him. 

“Perhaps we should discuss this in my room?” Steve suggested.

Bucky nodded and they made their way over to the room that Steve shared with Sam, shutting the door behind them.

“You need to chill. You’re scaring Peter,” Steve told him.

Bucky crossed his arms. “Maybe he should be a little scared, Steve. The kid needs to be able to protect himself.”

“He’s  _ fourteen _ ,” Steve reasoned. 

“Whatever, this isn’t my house,” Bucky replied. “In Wampus, you’re a warrior from the day of your sorting. But, if you baby the Pukwudgie kids, then who am I to judge?”

“ _ Bucky, _ ” he practically growled.

“Chill,” he laughed ruffling Steve’s hair. “Man, it’s easy to tick you off.”

“You’re annoying,” Steve commented.

“You love me though,” he asserted.

Steve rolled his eyes, but his only response was the small smile forming at the edges of his mouth.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but unfortunately I’m already running late,” Bucky said, glancing at the time on his phone.

“Late for what?” he asked.

“Quodpot practice,” Bucky supplied. “As the team captain, I gotta get my team in shape for taking down those Horned Serpent nerds.”

Steve laughed. “Don’t let Bruce hear you say that. You and I both know he’s long due for an impromptu duel.”

Bucky laughed as he waved goodbye to Steve and walked out of the room.

Sam walked in a few moments later. “I honestly have no idea why you hang out with that guy.”

“He’s my best friend, Sam,” Steve informed him. “I mean, so are you, but Bucky’s-”

“Special,” Sam supplied.

“Yeah,” Steve shrugged. “I mean, we’ve been friends since we were kids. He was there when I was sick.”

“Well, I personally think that Barnes is a despicable human being, but I guess you can have your own opinions,” Sam sighed.

“You’re my best friend too, Sam. I can be friends with both of you, even if you don’t get along,” he reasoned.

“I know, Steve. I trust you,” Sam promised.

Steve stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Maybe it was this ongoing rivalry between Sam and Bucky or maybe it was something worse, but he had this nagging feeling deep in his soul. There was a darkness starting to settle over Ilvermorny, and he had no idea what was to come.

* * *

If there was one class that Steve hated more than anything, it was Arithmancy. Originally, it was an elective class, but with the new Magical Schools of America regulations, it was mandatory to take at least one semester of it at Ilvermorny and Steve was awful at it. He just didn’t get numbers and, to make things worse, Pukwudgie shared that class with Horned Serpent.

It wasn’t that Steve hated Horned Serpent as a house. Scott was hilarious and Bruce wasn’t so bad unless he got mad. The real problem with Horned Serpent was one singular person: Tony Stark.

Tony came from an extremely wealthy wizarding family. His parents were killed in the Second Wizarding War when he was only a baby, and he thought that was an excuse for him to behave like a narcissistic ass. Tony thought he was the absolute shit and he used his academic achievements to back that up, even though there was more to life than straight A’s.

And the worst part is that their teacher, Mr. Coulson, assigned seating and, chances had it, Tony and Steve had ended up right next to one another on the seating chart.

“Did you hear about Wanda?” Tony asked Steve once he sat down.

“I don’t live under a rock,” Steve retorted. “Of course I heard about what happened. Poor Skye, she was only a sophomore.”

“Well, then I suppose you heard that Skye wasn’t on campus that night,” Tony continued. “Since she snuck out to hang out with her no-maj friends.”

“What?” Steve blinked for a few moments before turning toward Tony. “You’re saying that she wasn’t taken from the campus?”

“No, she was not,” he answered.

“How did you figure that out?” Steve asked.

“Rhodey said that Gamora was freaking out all night trying to figure out where she was and then she asked her roommate, and she had left to see a few friends,” Tony explained.

“Why isn’t this common knowledge?” Steve asked. “If the threat isn’t on campus, then why wouldn’t they tell us the truth?”

“Rumor has it dinner tonight is going to double as an assembly, but I’m not sure Gamora wanted it out there that she doesn’t have the control she’s supposed to over her house,” Tony explained. “I mean, Wampus is almost as much of a mess as your house. Luckily, here in Horned Serpent, we’re dignified.”

Steve snorted. “You’re  _ not _ dignified.”

“Well, I don’t see us getting into trouble,” Tony snapped. “I heard from a friend that you discussed trying to sneak out the other day, Mr. Perfect.”

Steve was going to have to have a talk with Pete about keeping secrets. “Scott got detention last week for stealing a draught of shrinking solution.”

“It’s  _ Scott _ . He was a fluke. Sure, he’s a smart guy, but he’s not a true Horned Serpent. Only Thunderbirds have the balls to swipe shit from the potions cellar.”

“So what I’m hearing is you don’t have any balls,” Steve said with a smirk.

“Excuse me,” Mr. Coulson said. “Attention up here, please.”

“We are paying attention,” Tony argued.

“What am I lecturing about?” Mr. Coulson asked.

“The association between numbers and having good luck,” Steve supplied, having heard bits and pieces of what he was saying.

The class broke out into laughter. “Dude,” Scott laughed. “He was talking about the unlucky properties of 13.”

“Attention on me from now on, or I’ll have to take some points away,” Mr. Coulson admonished. “Your classmates work hard and don’t deserve that.”

“Yes, sir,” the answered in unison, before looking toward one another with distaste. Steve was slightly surprised that Tony didn’t turn it into an argument and pin everything on him, but perhaps even he knew when to stop at times.

* * *

Tony wasn’t lying. At dinner that night they made them all get seated straight away and even made them sit at the same table as their house.

Once they were seated, their principal, Dr. Von Doom, clapped his hands together. “I have some important announcements to make. I ask that you please stow away your phones for the time being.”

He gave them a moment to turn off their phones and put them away before continuing. “I’m sure that all of you have heard the news by now, but in case you haven’t, Daisy Johnson, a sophomore from Wampus has died after being attacked by Wanda Maximoff.”

There was an audible gasp, but Steve had no idea how anyone would have missed the news. After all, it was in every wizarding paper out there.

“Rest assured you are safe. The attack occurred off school grounds,” he informed them. “So, from here forward, the punishment for leaving campus unapproved will be a three day in-school suspension. No exceptions.”

At least a quarter of the school groaned at that. Sneaking out of the school wasn’t hard if you were smart about it, but getting caught was always a possibility and a suspension that long was just plain cruel, but Dr. Von Doom had his reasons, that was plain to see.

“If any of you have any information at all about the incident or the whereabouts of Wanda Maximoff, you may privately reveal yourself with no risk of punishment,” he continued with a pointed look at the Thunderbird table.

Pietro threw his napkin down on the table and got out of his chair, slowly walking toward the exit of the dining hall. He was Wanda’s twin brother, and he was just as upset at what had happened as everyone else, but most people tended not to trust him.

“Mr. Maximoff, sit down please,” Dr. Von Doom ordered. Pietro flipped him the bird and kept walking, until Mr. Fury, the DADA teacher, caught him and whispered something in his ear. Pietro rolled his eyes but returned to his seat, looking grumpier than ever.

“Do you think he knows anything?” Peter asked softly.

“Pietro is a good guy,” Steve assured him. “Besides, he’s not the biggest fan of his family. He doesn’t even go home for breaks.”

“I don’t blame him. His dad is kind of a dick,” said Bucky before scooting into the seat next to Steve.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the Wampus table?” Sam remarked.

“Move me then,” Bucky dared him.

Sam began to reach for his wand, but Steve caught his arm. “Chill out, okay?”

He crossed his arms. “He asked me to move him. Who am I to deny such a request?”

Bucky smirked. “You know what, Wilson? I think that’s the funniest thing that I’ve ever heard you say in all these years here at Ilvermorny.”

“Barnes, you’re sitting at the wrong table,” came a female voice from behind them. It was his RA, Gamora and she looked annoyed.

Bucky sighed and removed himself from the table, regretfully following her toward the table filled with his fellow Wampus students. When he sat down, Natasha laughed at something, but Steve had no idea what. What did she think was so funny? Was she faking it to impress him?

“You’re staring too hard,” Sam muttered under his breath.

Steve’s head snapped toward him. “Huh?”

Sam smiled and patted Steve on the back. “Don’t worry about it. I was just thinking out loud.”

* * *

After dinner, Steve was leaving the dining hall when Dr. Von Doom caught his arm. “Mr. Rogers, may I speak with you?”

“Yes sir,”  he replied, feeling a bit unsure as he followed his principal to his office and sat down in the chair across from his desk.

“As you know, we at Ilvermorny appreciate your hard work and loyalty. After all, that’s why we made you a RA in the first place.”

“Thank you, sir,” Steve swallowed unsure of where this was going.

“I have a special assignment for you, Mr. Rogers,” Dr. Von Doom informed him.

“Yes?”

“I want you to act as an investigator within the student body. Somebody here has to know where Wanda Maximoff and I need you to look into it, seeing as you still have their trust,” he explained.

“Is it safe?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but if we catch her, then everyone will be safe once more,” Dr. Von Doom reasoned. “What do you value more, your personal safety or that of your fellow students.”

Steve’s mind drifted to Bucky first. Sure, he could protect himself, but Steve had no idea what he would do if anything ever happened to him. A life without Bucky would be a life without hope or happiness.

“I’ll do it,” Steve said with a nod. “I’m going to track down Wanda Maximoff if it’s the last thing I do, and then I’ll report everyone involved directly to you and you can get the people necessary to take her down. I need to keep my friends safe.”

Dr. Von Doom grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now, just one more request. You can’t tell anybody, alright? You don’t know who you can trust. After all, nobody expected quiet little Miss Maximoff to be a raging psychopath, and now we’re in this position.”

“I won’t tell a living soul,” Steve promised, before remembering the ghosts wandering the castle. “Uhh and I won’t tell any dead ones either.”

“Good, we all know that Pleasant Peggy is actually a bit of a gossip,” he replied with a chuckle.

“I actually quite enjoy her company,” Steve argued. “But I won’t tell her.”

“Let me know if you find anything,” Dr. Von Doom said. “Don’t forget, you cannot tell anyone. I don’t know if I can stress this enough, but it’s of great importance.”

“I won’t tell anybody, sir. I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait! It was finals week and ripppp  
> hopefully the next chapter will come sooner even tho skam fic week is coming up  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

As soon as he got out of the meeting, Steve went directly to the quodpot pit, where he knew that Bucky would be holding practice for his team.

He sat in the stands until their practice ended, working on his History of Magic homework. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for him to sit in the stands and do his homework or study while Wampus was holding practice. He liked to see Bucky play, even when it wasn’t game time and he quite enjoyed the way the brown-haired boy took control of his team during practice, pushing them to be the best that they could be without going beyond their limits.

It took a few minutes for the brown-haired boy to notice him sitting there as his head was so involved in the game, but when he did, he made sure to wink one of his bright blue eyes in Steve’s direction before focusing back in on practice.

Every time Steve saw him take off on that broom, he was amazing. Bucky loved quodpot. He was passionate about quodpot. If you asked Bucky what he wanted to do after graduation, his answer would be seven letters and start with a ‘q’. Everyone knew Bucky was going to be a quodpot start one day. Hell, he could take on the entire Thunderbird team on his own if he wanted to and he’d win by a hell of a lot.

Bucky lived for quodpot and Steve loved nothing more to see his friend so happy doing the thing that he loved most. Even when they were kids, he used to sit and watch as Bucky mounted a broom and flew around the yard until his mom came out and yelled at him to be more discreet.

“Rogers, you want to practice with us?” Rhodey called. It was a sincere question. He was always so much nicer when Tony wasn’t around.

Steve shook his head. “I’ve got this essay for Melinda’s class,” he called back.

“Good luck on that,” Rhodey said with a nod before turning back toward his team and continuing to practice.

They flew around for another hour, throwing the quod back and forth, trying to get it into the magical solution before it exploded.

After they finished they disappeared for a few minutes, but Steve continued to work on his essay. It was a complex topic, but he knew that he would be fine. He was a fairly good writer and Melinda commended him for that.

“Hey,” Bucky called from behind him. Steve turned around to see him. He was fresh out of the shower, short hair dripping small droplets onto his blue Ilvermorny sweatshirt. 

“Hey,” Steve echoed, a bit mindlessly.

“Shall we?” he asked, pointing his thumb toward the inside of the castle.

Steve nodded and stood up, shoving his scroll into his backpack and zipping it up before throwing it over his shoulder and following his best friend. “I need to tell you something, but it’s a secret.”

Bucky stopped at the doorway that led inside and opened it, popping his head into the hallway and looking around before closing it again. “Well, we’re alone right now,” he informed him.

“It’s about the whole Wanda thing,” Steve said quietly and he could swear that he could see Bucky’s face droop. Maybe he was still upset about Skye’s death, though he hadn’t known that they were that close beyond weekly tutoring sessions.

“What about it?” Bucky asked.

“You can’t tell anyone, but Dr. Von Doom has asked me to investigate,” Steve explained. “And he said I couldn’t trust anyone, but I knew that I could trust you, Buck.”

Bucky frowned. “Steve, you can’t look into this.”

“Why not?” he wondered aloud.

“I don’t think it’s safe. I mean, this woman is a literal serial killer,” he clarified. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Or worse..”

“I’ll be fine,” Steve assured him. “Besides, it’s better me than the entire castle, right?”

“I know this sounds selfish, but I’d rather have every other student at Ilvermorny die before you do.”

_ That’s how I feel about you, _ Steve thought.  _ That’s why I have to do this. _

“I’m going to be fine,” Steve repeated. “I promise you, if I ever feel like I’m in danger, you’ll be the first one to know, okay?”

Bucky slowly nodded before taking a step forward and wrapping Steve in his arms. They hadn’t hugged in a while, but it still was one of Steve’s favorite feelings. Bucky made him feel safe in a way that nobody else could and, when he was in his arms, he knew that nothing could ever happen to him. Maybe that’s why Sam’s friendship could never truly amount to Bucky’s. Sam was his friend, but he never made Steve feel like this.

* * *

Steve spent all night pondering about who to question first and how to approach them, but luckily the investigation came to him the very next morning after he had gotten out of Charms.

It was Carol Danvers, a junior from Thunderbird, and the younger sister of Mar Danvers, who was one of Wanda’s earliest victims. Her brother had been a senior when he died two years back, snatched from her family before his career could even begin.

“Hey, Steve. Can we talk?” she requested before running a hand through her short blond hair.

“Yeah, sure, Carol. What’s up?” he replied.

She led him into a more deserted part of the hallway where they wouldn’t be at as much of a risk of being overheard.

“I’m leaving the school soon to transfer to Beauxbatons,” she informed him. “My parents don’t think it’s safe for me to be here, considering what happened to Mar. My cousins go to school there, so they were more than willing to accept me there.”

“I hope your studies go well there,” Steve said, a bit unsure of why she had approached him.

“Are you going to be an auror someday?” she asked him.

Steve wrinkled his eyebrows. “I’m not decided yet, but I’m not sure that I’m in good enough shape for it.”

“I want to tell you something. Something about Mar and his death,” she said in a rushed voice.

He nodded. “Go ahead.”

“A year before you started, when Mar was a sophomore, Ilvermorny hosted a triwizard tournament between them, Uagadou, and Castelobruxo,” she began. “And it was during that time that Mar met the lovely Princess Anelle.”

“The late daughter of Emperor Dorrek VII?” he asked. 

Brazil was one of the few places where a dictator still ruled the wizarding part of the country. The last president had a distaste for him, but the new one, who had just been reelected in the past year, did more business with him, seeing economic potential in doing trade with the Brazilian wizard community. His daughter, Anelle, had died of some mysterious medical condition a year and a half ago.

Carol nodded. “Anelle and Mar met then and they quickly fell in love. Dorrek didn’t want his daughter with an American, so they had to keep it a secret, but they still found ways to sneak around together, especially after he learned how to apparate. And then, when he was eighteen, he came home all worried, saying that someone may have seen him through her bedroom window.”

“Are you saying it may not have been Wanda who killed him after all?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Carol admitted. “But, what I do know is that Anelle was pregnant when he was killed, so it’s possible that Dorrek had some sort of involvement.”

“Why pin it on some teenage girl though?” Steve asked. “And, besides, Wanda had already killed Jonas, hadn’t she?”

“I have no idea what happened,” she told him. “I just wanted to share the information that I had with someone before I left, and you seem like the most trustworthy person here. If someone needs to know about this, you’ll tell the right person.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Carol offered him a half smile. “Well, I’d better go back to the Thunderbird dorm. I’ve got to finish packing.”

“Enjoy France, mon ami,” he said.

“I’ll try my absolute best,” she replied. “Bye Steve.”

She walked down the hallway while Steve turned the other direction, heading back to the Pukwudgie lounge. Was Wanda somehow involved with the Brazilian monarchy? That was a dangerous game but, then again, Wanda Maximoff was the most dangerous witch of his generation.

* * *

Sleep was hard to come by for the next few nights. He hadn’t pursued the investigation any further since his chat with Carol. Maybe Bucky was right. Maybe it wasn’t safe to look into this. After all, he was only a student. There were aurors working day and night to bring Wanda down and they hadn’t been successful thus far, why would he be any different?

He was afraid to tell Dr. Von Doom that he was giving up and he still wasn’t sure that he was completely decided, but he didn’t want himself or the people that he cared about to get hurt so he was leaning toward giving up while he was ahead.

“Steve, wake up!” shouted a panicked voice.

“Jesus Christ,” Sam groaned from the other bed. “Shut up, please.”

Steve reached for his glasses and fumbled with them for a moment trying to put them on his face. After they were on, he was able to see that the person who awoke him in such a frantic manner was Peter.

“What’s up, Pete?” he asked.

“I need you to come see something,” Peter said. There was terror in his eyes.

Steve nodded and pushed himself out of bed, throwing a t-shirt on and slipping on his slides before following Peter out of the Pukwudgie dorms and into the hallway.

“Why were you out here?” he asked.

“I was hungry,” Peter shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Something’s happened.”

Peter led him down a few hallways and stopped, gesturing around the corner. “I can’t look at it again.”

When Steve turned the corner, the first thing he saw was Clint, shirtless and shoeless, looking away from him at something that his figure was blocking.

“Clint?” Steve called.

“Oh, thank god,” he said turning around and revealing the horrible sight behind him. It was a junior from Horned Serpent. Steven Strange. He had always been at the top of his class in Charms, but that knowledge was unable to help him now, as his limp body was leaning against the blood-splattered wall, covered in cuts and without his eyes.

“Jesus,” Steve muttered, taking a hesitant step backward. 

“It’s my fault,” Clint said before attempting to wipe the tears from his eyes. “He called me and I said I was coming, but I had to pee and then by the time I got here, it was too late.”

“It’s not your fault,” Steve assured him with a shake of his head. “You didn’t kill him and, based on the looks of him, you probably couldn’t have saved him. You might have died too.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Clint asked. “I’ve tried to call Dr. Von Doom, but he won’t pick up. He’s probably sound asleep.”

Steve pulled out his own phone and punched in a number before bringing it to his ear.

“Who are you calling?” Clint asked.

“Mr. Fury,” Steve mouthed back.

“You better have a good fucking reason for calling me at this hour of night, Rogers,” Mr. Fury grumbled from the other end of the phone.

The words spilled out of Steve’s mouth at a rapid pace. “A student is dead in the hallway by the potions cellar and we don’t know what do do.”

“Fuck,” he said. “I’ll be there in a minute. Make sure no more students wander into the hallway that haven’t seen it yet.”

Mr. Fury hung up.

“He’s coming,” Steve informed Clint before calling down the hall. “Peter go to bed and keep this on the down-low!”

“I’m scared!” Peter called back. “I don’t want to go back alone.”

“I’ll take him,” Clint offered.

Steve nodded and the two boys left while he stood there, alone with the body of a deceased 16 year-old. 

Nick Fury arrived, in his normal all black outfit and leather duster. Did he sleep in that or something?

“Leave,” he commanded as soon as he was within earshot.

“Why?”

“This is for the adults to deal with. Go back to bed, Rogers. We can discuss this later,” he said.

Steve was not one to argue with Mr. Nick Fury, so he obeyed, heading back to the Pukwudgie dorms. By the time he got back, Clint was long gone, but Peter was pacing back and forth in the lounge.

“I thought you were going to bed,” Steve said upon seeing him.

“How am I supposed to go to bed after  _ that _ ?!” he exclaimed. “Steve, I’m scared. What if I’m next?”

“You won’t be,” Steve assured him.

“How do you know that?” Peter asked. “How do you know that I won’t be found mutilated tomorrow night?”

“I’ll protect you, Pete,” Steve promised. “You’re not going to die or get hurt. Not on my watch.”

“You promise?” Peter whispered.

“I promise,” Steve said with a nod. “As long as I’m alive, nobody is going to touch you.”

That was it. Steve couldn’t give up his investigation, no matter the danger. He had slacked for a few days and another student died. He was never going to let that happen again.

* * *

The news had spread around the school by the time breakfast began. Everyone was frantic and, when Dr. Von Doom made the announcement to the student body, everyone cowered even more. The curfew was stricter now. If a student was caught outside their dorm outside authorized hours, they would be subject to a week of detention.

The students of Ilvermorny walked to their respective classes like zombies, too terrified to do anything other than what they were supposed to.

Steve’s first class was DADA and it went fairly normally. Mr. Fury lectured for the entire hour and announced that they would be practicing some spells on Friday. He dismissed them and, before he could leave, Steve got pulled aside.

“Remember that Ilvermorny offers counseling services,” he said plainly. “If you need it.”

“I’m fine,” Steve replied.

Mr. Fury nodded. “Good.”

“Yeah,” Steve said, rocking back and forth on his feet, anxious to leave for his next class.

“Well, you’re a tough kid. Let me know if you need help with anything,” Mr. Fury offered.

“I’ll tell you if anything happens,” Steve told him.

They were both silent for a moment.

“You can leave my classroom now.”

“Oh, okay. Bye,” Steve said awkwardly before shuffling out of the classroom.

It was odd. Mr. Fury was the most emotionally stunted teacher at the school, yet he was also the teacher that Steve felt that he could trust the most.

* * *

“Yo, Steve Rogers!” called a voice from down the hall. Steve was annoyed, as he had just gotten out of potions and he just wanted to go to the Wampus dorms and study for his Ancient Runes test with Bucky.

“Can I help you?” he asked and he raised his eyebrows when he saw who it was.

Pietro had been pretty withdrawn since everything with Wanda went down, only talking to his close friends, which meant mostly just Clint.

“Guess where I’ve been all day?” he asked.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “I have no id-”

“Dr. Von Doom’s office,” Pietro supplied before Steve could finish his sentence. “He’s been questioning me all day about my sister, even though I have no fucking idea where she is. I know nothing and, just because I’m her twin, I’m the permanent prime suspect. It’s annoying as shit.”

“That sucks-” Steve began, but Pietro didn’t let him finish.

“I mean like she’s not fucking stupid. She obviously knew that I’d be the first to get questioned, so why would she tell me? I mean, not that I think she did it anyway.”

“You think she’s innocent?” Steve asked.

“My sister isn’t a killer,” Pietro told him. “At least, not without good reason. Just because she has major depression doesn’t mean that she snapped and went on a killing spree. I mean, she was medicated and doing well when she disappeared.”

“But the aurors said-” he began.

“I know what they said, I just don’t think they’re right,” Pietro gritted out. “Look, I know that you have some sway at this school. At least more than Clint or I do. Can you please try to get people to stop talking about me behind my back and accusing me of shit?”

“I can try my best,” Steve said with a nod.

“Thanks,” Pietro said before running off down the hallway, probably toward his next class or something.

Steve began to doubt everything. If Pietro didn’t know anything, then who would? Maybe he wasn’t cut out for being a detective.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry fr the sporadic update schedule! skam fic week is soon and I should be able to post regularly after I finish writing for that.  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

“Hey, Mr. Perfect!” Tony called from the Horned Serpent section of the stands. “I think you got the date wrong. We’re not supposed to beat Pukwudgie until next week.”

Steve rolled his eyes and tried to ignore him, but he wasn’t that lucky. Instead, the other boy climbed through the stands to come talk to him.

“What do you need, Tony?” Steve sighed. “I’m not exactly in the mood for this right now.”

“The thing is, I didn’t really  _ ask _ if you were, did I?” Tony replied. “Seriously, why do you go to all the Wampus games but not the Pukwudgie ones? So much for house support.”

“I’m here to support my best friend,” Steve grumbled.

Tony looked toward the field and wrinkled his nose. “Barnes’ ass isn’t  _ that _ nice. Now, if you were here for Horned Serpent’s shining star, Pepper Potts, I’d totally understand. Well, I mean I’d also have to beat you up because then you’d be stepping into my territory, but still.”

Steve crossed his arms. “Seriously, what on earth do you want, Stark? I’m just trying to watch my friend play.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Tony’s voice lowered, “about what you saw the other day.”

“Everyone knows now, there’s no point in being discreet,” Steve replied.

“Was it her?” Tony asked. “Did Wanda kill Steven Strange?”

“I don’t know,” Steve shrugged. “Probably? I’m not an auror.”

“I just don’t understand it. What do these people have in common? Why does she choose them?”

“I don’t know, Tony,” Steve sighed.

“I heard that she’s in the castle. Somebody is hiding her here,” he told Steve.

“Heard from who?” Steve questioned.

Tony shrugged. “Everyone has been talking about it. I’m surprised that you haven’t heard the same.”

“Forgive me if I don’t trust gossip as the complete truth,” Steve replied with a roll of his eyes. 

“Still, keep your house safe. There’s obviously danger lurking in this school,” Tony warned.

“Since when do you care about Pukwudgie?”

“I don’t give a shit about Pukwudgie,” he retorted. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Especially not Pete. He’s a good kid.”

Steve nodded. “He is. And I’m keeping an eye on him. I won’t let anything bad happen to him.”

“You better not,” Tony said before turning around and making his way back into the Horned Serpent section of the stands.

* * *

Wampus won, which wasn’t unexpected. They were the best team by far, thanks to Bucky’s skills with both playing and coaching the sport. Steve knew that Wampus met for a while after every game to analyze what they did well and what they could improve, so he wandered back to the Wampus dorms with Clint and Natasha to wait there.

“That was a pretty good game!” Clint exclaimed at Natasha let them in.

“It was alright,” she shrugged. “They could do better if you ask me. Bucky is going to be pissy when he gets back.”

“Maybe for a moment, but Steve’s here, so he’ll get over it,” Clint reasoned.

“Friendship dominates,” Steve agreed.

Natasha and Clint gave each other a look that Steve couldn’t quite decipher. He decided not to ask about it. Even before they got together, the two of them were able to speak without words. It made it a bit infuriating to be around them at times.

“Anyway,” Clint started, flopping backward onto one of the couches in the Wampus lounge. “How have you been lately, Steve? I feel like I haven’t spoken to you since, well you know.”

He shrugged. “I mean, everything that’s been happening has me a bit spooked, but I’m pretty sure that’s the general consensus right now.”

“How’s the Wanda hunt going?” Natasha asked, from the lounge chair that she was sitting sideways on. “You know, the one Dr. Von Doom has sent you on?”

Steve blinked for a moment. “How did you-”

“I see things,” Natasha shrugged. “My bitch of a mom used to have the very same talent.”

Clint grinned. “My girlfriend is super cool, isn’t she?”

Natasha, who didn’t really stand for any of that sappiness, cocked an eyebrow. “I will literally dump your ass right now. Don’t fucking test me, Barton.”

“The quest isn’t going too well. I don’t even know where to start,” Steve confessed. “I mean, people have come to me, but it hasn’t really led to anything.”

“Well, if she’s here, you can easily track her,” Clint informed him.

“What?” Natasha and Steve said in unison.

“Bruce has been working on a tracking potion recently, but it has a short range and, well, it works in interesting ways,” Clint told him.

“How did you know this?” Natasha demanded.

“Because I talk to Bruce,” Clint replied. “Just because he can’t hone in his anger at times doesn’t mean he isn’t a good guy.”

“Do you think he’s busy tonight?” Steve asked. “I should get started on this as soon as possible.”

Natasha snorted. “Is Bruce every busy?”

They all turned as the lounge door opened, revealing Bucky and the rest of the Wampus quodpot team. Just as Natasha predicted, Bucky didn’t look very happy.

“Hey, Buck!” Steve greeted. “You played amazing today.”

“You don’t have to say that. I know that I could have been better,” he grumbled.

“No, I’m being honest. You guys were awesome out there. Especially you,” Steve persisted.

Clint and Natasha gave each other a knowing look and then left for her room, leaving Steve alone with Bucky.

“Really, I wasn’t that great,” Bucky protested.

Steve stood up and made his way toward his best friend, brushing down a strand of hair, still wet from his shower, that was sticking up. “You’re amazing, Buck. I promise.”

A small smile began to pull at Bucky’s cheeks. “Thanks, Steve. That really means the world to me.”

“I need you,” Steve said, and Bucky’s smile widened. “I think I’m going to try and track down Wanda tonight, and I need your help.”

Bucky frowned. “Steve, after last week, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

Steve shook his head. “That’s why it needs to happen now. Before anybody else gets hurt.”

“Steve, you’re going to get hurt if you pursue this further,” Bucky said. “And I can’t be one of the people that causes that.”

“Wouldn’t I be safer with you with me?” Steve tried to reason.

“You’d be safer if you didn’t go at all,” Bucky stated before storming toward his room. This time, Steve decided not to follow him.

* * *

As expected, Bruce had no plans that evening and he was more than willing to assist Steve in his quest, so Steve and him snuck into the potions lab after hours, casting a simple alohomora to get inside.

“Okay, so let me explain the potion to you,” Bruce said as he stirred the cauldron. “First of all, it is my very own concoction, so if this works, name suggestions are welcome.”

“Bruce’s Brew?” Steve suggested.

“It’s a potion, not a beer,” Bruce sighed. “I’ll ask Scott. He’s always good at coming up with stuff that’s actually funny.”

“So, can you explain how the potion works,” Steve requested.

Bruce nodded. “So, it will only work if the person in question is within a mile, so if she’s in or near the castle, we’ve got her. And then it doesn’t like directly lead you to her, but offers little clues. Like a scavenger hunt!”

“I’m sure I can figure it out,” Steve replied. “I mean, how hard can it be”

“And then there’s the side effects,” Bruce continued.

“Side effects?” he asked cautiously. “Is this potion even safe?”

“Of course it’s safe,” Bruce scoffed. “I’ll duel anyone who says otherwise, mark my words. But it’s also a work in progress, so I haven’t exactly found a way to get rid of its few small problems.”

“Well, what are they?”

“Well, blurred vision for one, but that shouldn’t be too awful. I mean, if I can find my way to the bathroom without my glasses on, then you’ll be fine,” he began. “And the only other issue is that you’ll pass out for approximately 17 seconds exactly three hours twenty-three minutes and two seconds after consuming the potion.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Steve said, a bit afraid. What if he passed out at the worst possible time and got attacked? Or what if the blurriness of his vision caused him to miss the clues entirely? What if Wanda wasn’t even there? Or worse, what if she was and the potion didn’t work?

“Open up,” Bruce ordered, scooping some of the bright yellow liquid from the cauldron and bringing it to Steve’s mouth. It smelled awful, like niffler piss, but he still opened his mouth and allowed Bruce to pour the potion inside.

It was both warm and spicy and Steve couldn’t help but close his eyes tightly as he swallowed it. He didn’t feel any different so he opened his eyes to question Bruce, but sure enough, his vision was blurry. It was almost like when a TV show lagged and the picture quality went down until any subtitles would be unreadable.

“I think it’s working,” Steve told him.

“Get after it, then,” Bruce encouraged. “Good luck and don’t get hurt.”

“I’ll try not to,” Steve promised as he left the lab, nearly running into the corner of the wall on the way out. Maybe this was going to be harder than he looked.

He hadn’t been in the hall for two seconds when he heard a loud burping sound. Steve looked around, but he couldn’t see any figures standing near him. It must be his clue. He thought of the kitchens, but had no idea why Wanda would be there but, then again, even evil murderers had to get hungry sometimes.

Steve used the castle walls to push his way toward the kitchens. He wished he had someone alongside him to be his guide, but Bucky seemed pretty reluctant about everything and Steve didn’t want to pull Sam into this mess.

“Is anyone here?” Steve called softly once he was inside the kitchens, but there was no response.

Then he heard the sound of bare feet slapping on the kitchen floor behind him and turned around violently, but there was nobody there.

Steve turned back around and found himself face to face with a giant nose that was attached to a large head on a frail body.

“Steve Rogers, right?” asked the house elf, who was wearing only a rag on her bony body.

“According to the House Elf Act of 2003 you’re free,” Steve blinked. “Why are you wearing that rag.”

She shrugged. “I think it suits me.”

“Why are you here?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I was hanging out in the quodpot field, staring up at the stars. Did you know how many constellations there are?”

Suddenly, Steve realized that there was something off about this house elf. She was perfectly visible despite his blurry vision. “You’re not real are you?”

“And you’ve already got your clue,” she answered, disappearing with a mere snap of her fingers.

Unsure of where else to go, Steve rushed over to the quodpot field and laid down on the ground, staring up at the stars. He laid there for a while and nothing happened and he began to doubt if he had even gotten the clue correct in the first place.

Then, a broom dashed out into the sky, blocking his view of some of the stars, it was followed by another and another, until the starry sky was filled with rider-less brooms whisking themselves to and fro.

“What could this mean,” Steve mumbled to himself. “Why brooms?”

He decided to check out the place where he knew most of the brooms to be: the PE storage room. He stumbled throughout it, often tripping over stray pieces of equipment, but never finding a clue. Steve searched for what had to be an hour before giving up. He was in the wrong place.

Maybe Bruce was still up. He decided to go check the potions lab and see if he was still cleaning up, but on the way, his hand managed to find the handle to a door that had certainly always been there, but he never had really stopped to look at before.

It was the janitorial closet. Steve opened the door with ease and was about to step inside, when he realized there wasn’t enough room in there. There was a piece of paper taped to one of the mops and he picked it up, bringing it close to his face.

All it said was  _ smaller brooms _ . Steve didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, so he decided to call the only person that he knew would be awake.

“Hey Steve, what’s up?” said Peter Quill. There was the sound of a video game going in the background.

“Seriously, why do you stay up all night playing that thing. It’s absolutely ancient,” Steve commented.

“Excuse me, Steve Rogers. The Atari is not only a classic, but also a worthy console,” Peter argued.

“I need your help with something,” Steve requested.

“Really?!” Peter exclaimed. “Nobody ever asks me for help.”

It was true. Peter Quill was commonly known to be the worst wizard in their year. Yet, somehow he had landed Gamora, who was arguably the best witch in their year. It was funny how love worked that way sometimes.

“I’m solving this riddle thing for a game I’m playing with a few friends,” Steve lied.

“I’m awesome at games,” Peter told him. “I’ve got this, bro.”

“The clue says I’m looking for a place in the castle with “smaller brooms.”

“Hmmm,” Peter said and Steve heard the sound of him getting up out his chain and pacing back and forth. “Like the brush that goes with a dustpan maybe?”

“That’s not it,” Steve told him. “I’ve already checked the janitorial closet.”

“Smaller brooms,” Peter repeated. “Brooms that are small. Escobas pequeñas.”

“Yes, that is what I’m searching for.”

“I’m thinking,” Peter snapped. “Small brooms. Small brooms! Oh my god, I’ve got it!”

“What?” Steve asked eagerly.

“Paintbrushes,” he announced. “The art supply room on the third floor.”

“There’s an art supply room?”

“Yeah, they cut the funding for it a few years back, but it’s still there. Down the hall from the Charms room,” Peter directed.

“Thank you, Peter,” Steve said.

“They call me Starlord for a reason.”

Steve chuckled. “Nobody calls you that, Peter.”

“Nobody calls me that  _ yet _ ,” he clarified. “Anyway, good luck with the rest of your quest. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye Peter,” Steve replied before hanging up, a bit shocked that he was actually able to come up with a valid answer to the clue.

Steve ran up the stairs two at a time to reach the third floor. He was probably going to pass out soon and he was worried that, after he did, the potion might wear off, rendering him absolutely useless.

When he got to the storeroom, it was locked, so he cast a quiet alohomora and yanked the handle open.

The storage room was bigger than he thought and sitting in the middle of it, on a stool, was a girl with long brown hair.

Steve drew his wand just in time for her to turn around, revealing a pair of grayish blue eyes. Her jaw dropped. She certainly hadn’t been expecting anyone to actually find her

“You don’t get to terrorize this school anymore, Wanda,” he gritted out before drawing his wand back.

Someone behind him grabbed his arm before he could cast anything and plucked the wand from his hands.

Steve turned his head to see familiar sky blue eyes, the same eyes that so often brought him comfort. Bucky.

“Steve, you don’t understand,” he whispered. 

And as chances were to have it, the second side effect finally kicked in, making Steve’s vision go completely black as he collapsed on the floor, arm limp in Bucky’s grasp. It was a short, dreamless sleep, but the thought of betrayal never left his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another mf chapter yeet ik it's been 5ever. I just started a new job and I had to finish writing skam fic week so it's been hectic. hopefully i can be done w the fic soon (i've finished 8 chaps so only two more to write yay)  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

“Steve, oh my god, are you okay?” Bucky asked as he blinked his eyes open. Steve’s vision was clear now, and he could see the worry on his friend’s face.

Steve pushed Bucky off of him. “It was the potion. Not that you’d know, seeing as you chose not to help me for obvious reasons.”

“I can explain everything,” Bucky told him. “Or Wanda can explain. The story will probably be more clear coming from her.”

“You might think that you love her, but that doesn’t erase who she is and what she did,” Steve snapped.

Bucky raised his eyebrows. “ _ Love _ her? Steve, she’s just a friend. I don’t see her that way.”

Steve crossed his arms. “You weren’t friends before she killed people, why are you friends now?”

“We  _ were _ friends,” he argued. “And she didn’t-”

“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “You don’t get to lie to me, Bucky.”

“I’m not-” he began.

“Does she have you under a spell?” Steve asked. “Because I’m sure we can reverse it.”

“There is no spell!” Bucky exclaimed. “I’m just helping a friend who needs it. If you’d just let me explain then you’d know that-”

“How can I trust a word that you say?” Steve asked.

“Because I-”

“I’m leaving,” Steve announced, walking toward the door that led out of the storage room.

“Please, Steve. Don’t tell anybody,” Bucky called after him.

“I’ll put your words into consideration,” Steve called back before leaving and closing the door behind him.

He couldn’t believe that any of his friends would do something like this, much less Bucky. Because Bucky wasn’t just his friend. He was special. And he had lied to Steve and was harboring the fugitive that Steve had been searching for. Steve didn’t feel like he could trust anybody anymore.

* * *

In transfiguration on Monday, Steve sat on the opposite side of the room from his normal seat, which was next to Bucky. He knew that people would realize that something was up if they weren’t talking but, frankly, he didn’t really care.

Sam, who usually sat by a quiet Wampus girl named Sharon but, upon seeing a vacant seat beside Steve, he got up out of his chair to sit by him. Unfortunately for him, Natasha was faster, slipping into the vacant chair without a word. 

“Good morning,” Steve greeted quietly.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Just a bit of a disagreement.”

“He looks sad,” Natasha pointed out. She was right. Bucky looked pretty mopey as he stared down at his desk, absent-mindedly fumbling with his quill.

“Well, I guess that’s what happens when you’re a liar,” Steve grumbled.

Natasha raised her eyebrows. “A liar? Damn, I feel like I missed an episode. What did he lie about?”

“It’s private,” he replied.

“So, like he told you that he could blow you last night and then remembered that he had to the reading for this class,” she teased.

Steve’s face flushed bright red. “No, Nat. That is  _ not _ what happened. Besides, Bucky never reads for class. He just bullshits everything and is somehow able to get away with it every single time.”

“Did you just swear? Dang Steve, this must be serious,” she said.

He shoved her lightly. “I can swear.”

“So about Bucky lying-” she started, trailing off near the end when Steve shook his head. “Okay, it’s not really any of my business. That’s fine. How did Saturday night go? Did you find anything?”

“No. Either Bruce’s potion didn’t work or she’s not here,” Steve lied. He wasn’t sure whether or not to tell someone about Wanda’s whereabouts and Bucky’s association with her, but he knew that telling a fellow student before anyone else would be a grave mistake.

“Well don’t tell Bruce that. I heard he’s already on edge because of the charms exam on Thursday. You don’t want to piss him off right now,” she advised.

“Thanks, Nat,” he replied.

“Anytime.”

Their teacher began to speak then, so they turned toward the front to learn about animagi, which was a topic that was going to be on their test the following week. Steve wasn’t paying much attention, as he couldn’t seem to look away from Bucky. He didn’t know what to do. The right thing to do both for his school and his country would be to turn him in, but at the same time he was Steve’s best friend and, although it had only been a few days, he missed him more than anything.

* * *

In the end, Steve’s country won out. It always did. Patriotism was important to him, especially when it involved the safety of others. He was going to report what he had seen to a teacher. He had to. It was the only way. Bucky probably didn’t even realize what kind of lies that she had to be feeding him in order to win him over to her side.

Steve didn’t want to go directly to Dr. Von Doom, as he was a harsh man and he knew that Bucky would be face to face with dementors in mere seconds if he did, so instead Steve went to the teacher that he trusted the most: Mr. Fury.

After his classes had ended for the day, Steve made his way to Mr. Fury’s office and lightly knocked on the door. “Come in,” the man called from inside.

“Hello, sir,” Steve greeted after pulling the door open and stepping inside. He shut it behind him and took a seat across from his teacher. “I need to tell you something.”

“Sorry, Rogers. I said right at the beginning of the semester that there will be no extensions on the projects,” Mr. Fury informed him. “I’m not a pushover like Coulson is. He’s not tough enough on you kids.”

“It’s not that,” Steve said, picking nervously at the sleeve at his robe. “It’s about Bucky.”

Mr. Fury sighed. “I know that you trust and look up to me but I’m not sure that I’m the best person to-”

“I found Wanda,” he confessed. “And Bucky has been hiding her. She’s up on the third floor, in the art storage room. Unless they moved her, which would be pointless because I can easily track her again if she’s in the castle.”

“I am very glad you came to me first,” Mr. Fury said in a tone that almost sounded  _ relieved  _ in a way.

Mr. Fury pulled out his wand and set it on his desk. “Now, Steve. You can’t tell anybody else. That could put your friend in great danger. A danger that he likely will find himself unable to survive.”

Steve blinked for a moment. “Is that a threat? Are you threatening Bucky?”

He shook his head. “It’s a warning, Steve. There are dangerous people out there, and Wanda Maximoff definitely isn’t one of them.”

Steve’s jaw dropped. “You,” he muttered. “You knew all along?”

“Of course I knew. I’m in charge of searching for her within this institution,” he explained. “I made sure of that. And, if a student can locate her, of course I know that she’s here. In fact, I’m the one who asked her back. I needed a student to assist me, so I chose my best student.”

“Why would you bring her back here?” Steve asked incredulously. “Murderer or not, she the most wanted witch in America. She should be hiding among no-majes.”

“You can’t start a revolution by hiding,” Mr. Fury reasoned. “And this country desperately needs one right now. Before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t my story to tell,” he told him. “When you’re ready, go back to Wanda and ask her to tell you the truth of what happened to her. The whole truth.”

Steve nodded, but he wasn’t so sure. He had no idea who to trust anymore: his country or his friends and it was tearing his soul in two. He had always wanted to get justice for the sake of his country, but how could he do that when he was so unsure as to whether or not his country was just in the first place?

* * *

Dr. Von Doom called a mandatory RA meeting across all houses after dinner on Wednesday evening, leaving the teachers that were the heads of each house to manage the dorms for that hour or so.

Steve sat next to Sam, who seemed to be annoyed by the meeting. In fact, most of the people present seemed to be ready to leave before the meeting even began, as all of the seniors had a charms exam the following day that they would much rather be studying for.

Once all the RAs were seated, Dr. Von Doom stood up and cleared his throat to get their attention. “As you all know, there is an ever-growing threat to our school,” he said. “You are my most trusted of students, so I need you all on watch. Report any uncharacteristic behavior or rule breaking directly to me. Do not report it to your fellow RAs. Do not report it to your teachers. I need to be the first to know.”

Clint raised his hand. And Dr. Von Doom gestured for him to speak. “But what if we find ourselves unable to reach you, sir?”

“I’ll keep my phone on at all times,” he promised.

“But, sir, you didn’t answer when I called you after…” he trailed off.

Dr. Von Doom nodded. “Fair point. From now on I will be more available, as I have learned my lesson from that situation.”

“But in the hypothetical situation we cannot reach you, then what do we do?” Sam asked. A few of the other RAs nodded, probably also concerned about the answer to that question.

The principal sighed. “How about this? I’m promoting Gamora and Steve to senior RAs. If you cannot contact me, go to them. They will then manage the situation and report it to me.”

The room murmured in approval. Steve was unsure as to what exactly he would do if he was called in a situation like the one with Steven Strange, but he knew that this would be an opportunity to keep Bucky safe, so he would have to deal with it.

Gamora raised her hand. “Yes, Gamora,” Dr. Von Doom said.

“I just wanted to say that, if anything happens in the next week, people are going to have to speak to Steve,” she announced.

“Wait, why?” Clint asked.

“I’m going home for my bitch sister’s birthday,” Gamora explained with a roll of her eyes, uncaring of how she was swearing in the presence of her boss.

“Peter is going to be so lonely without you,” Sam joked.

“Actually, he’s coming with,” she replied. “I made the mistake of telling Nebula about him and, in her typical bitch fashion, she told my dad, so now he wants to meet him.”

“Christ!” Clint exclaimed. “I guess I’m going to have to say goodbye to him then, because there’s no way that he’s going to make it through an entire weekend with  _ Thanos _ .”

Gamora flipped him off.

“Well,” Dr. Von Doom interjected. “I guess that I should call our meeting to a close. Remember, keep an eye out and report everything directly to me, Gamora, or Steve. Got it?”

“Got it,” they chorused less than enthusiastically before filing out toward their respective dorms to study for charms. Once Sam and Steve had made it into the Pukwudgie lounge, Steve pulled his friend into their shared room.

“I need to tell you something,” he announced.

Sam sighed. “Look, I’m still not his biggest fan, but if he makes you happy-”

“What?” Steve questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

He paused for a moment. “So, wait, you’re telling me you didn’t drag me in here to confess your feelings for Bucky?”

Steve blinked. “No. I  _ hate _ Bucky right now. Well, I mean not really, but he’s obviously very straight and if say I did have feelings for him, which I’m not saying that I do, I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship and-”

“Okay!” Sam interjected. “So, what did you actually come in here to tell me?”

“You can’t tell anyone or else,” Steve warned. “Like, I’m being 100% serious, Sam. It’s a secret.”

“I won’t tell anybody,” Sam promised. “You’re my best friend, Steve. I trust you.”

He sighed. “I found Wanda last Saturday. Bucky and Mr. Fury have been hiding her in the school and they claim that she’s innocent.”

The room was silent for a moment and Sam held a finger up. “Okay, so first of all, what the fuck?!” he exclaimed. “Second off, I don’t trust Bucky. You know that. I’m not sure about Mr. Fury. And third of all, what the actual living fuck, Steve?!”

“I don’t know what to do,” he said. “Like, Bucky means the world to me, but he lied for who knows how long.”

“Tell Dr. Von Doom,” Sam suggested. “I mean, if Mr. Fury is involved, maybe he is too.”

“Or maybe he’s not and we can’t trust him,” Steve argued. “I literally have no idea what to do right now.”

Sam sat down and put his chin in his hand, likely pondering Steve’s complicated situation. “I hate to say it, but I think you should hear her out,” he muttered.

“But what if everything she says is a lie?” Steve asked.

“Then you’re just going to have to trust your judgement,” Sam reasoned. “You’re a smart guy, Steve. Give yourself a little bit of credit.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Steve said with a smile. “I knew I could count on you.”

“You always can,” Sam reminded him.

Steve gathered his charms notes and started toward the door.

“Hey, Steve, one more thing,” Sam said, making him stop and turn around. “I just wanted to say that if you do ever get with Bucky, I’m going to be happy for you.”

A grin spread across Steve’s faces as he mumbled a soft “thank you” to his friend before walking toward the lounge to study. Soon, he would hear Wanda’s side of the story and then he could decide if he would ever be able to trust her or Bucky again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I only have one more chapter of this fic to write which is exciting. I should in theory update while I'm still working on the final chapter but we'll see if I remember lol. after that I can get an update schedule going  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

Steve texted Bucky asking to meet with him and Wanda so, on Friday night, he found himself standing in that very same art storeroom, still feeling incredibly distrustful of his best friend.

“Steve, I’m so happy you decided to come,” Bucky said, moving in for a hug.

Steve dodged him and crossed his arms. “I’m not here for you. I’m here to hear what Wanda has to say so that I can do what’s best to help Ilvermorny and America.”

Bucky looked at him for a moment, seemingly upset. 

“Well, I’m very thankful that you’ve come to hear me out,” Wanda said, jerking the two boys’ attention away for each other.

He surveyed her for a moment, but she seemed genuine. “Tell me your story,” Steve ordered. “And don’t leave out any important details.”

“It all started one night when I snuck out to meet with my boyfriend, Jonas,” she began. “He was a vampire and my dad told me that I wasn’t allowed to see him, but I didn’t listen. Of course I didn’t. I was in love.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Steve asked. He had asked for the truth about her murder accusations, not a relationship history.

“Jonas was being hunted. Some higher ups didn’t like vampires, so they were killing them and painting them to be accidents. Nobody really looked into it, seeing as it was vampires that were dying, but I was dating one, so I knew the truth. They were being hunted by the government and nobody gave a shit.” Wanda clenched a fist. “And my dad fucking knew it. I confronted him and he didn’t deny a thing. He just told me to stay quiet because he didn’t want me to get hurt.”

“And you didn’t,” Steve inferred.

“How could I?” she asked. “My boyfriend was in danger. I had to use my position as a child of a famous wizard to do something, but I wasn’t smart enough about it. I set up a meeting with President Osborn to confront him about it. To be honest, I was just hoping that he would grant immunity for Jonas, which was pretty selfish, but I was a kid and he was what mattered most for me at the time.”

“I’m guessing President Osborn didn’t take it very well,” Steve said.

Wanda shook her head. “He was going to kill me right then and there, but my father burst in to save my life and I ran. I got away from there as fast as I could and rushed right into Jonas’ arms. Then we ran together. The government was on our heels and they had eyes everywhere. We spent time on all seven continents and, let me tell you, penguin meat is disgusting.”

“Really?” Bucky said with a wince. “ _ Penguins? _ ”

“During those first few months, we built a revolution,” Wanda continued, ignoring Bucky’s comment. “I have a few friends in different parts of the world and I had some friends here. Mar Danvers, Skye Johnson, and Steven Strange were just a few casualties of our battle for a better world.”

“But what happened with them? Like more specifically?” Steve asked.

“Well, we have to start with Jonas if we’re going to get into  _ that _ ,” Wanda said with a sad sigh. “We were in Norway at the time, since we have a few allies there. We were planning on attacking MACUSA soon and exposing their ties to the tyrannical dictator in Brazil when one of our own turned again. Loki Laufeyson, a student at Durmstrang, ratted us out the night that Jonas and I went to scout out MACUSA and the two of us got caught and dragged directly into President Osborn’s office where he-”

Bucky rested a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

Wanda looked directly at Steve and he saw a burning fire behind her bright blue eyes. “He slit his throat as a warning and then told me to leave,” she explained. “He spared my life, but a part of me died that day. I was desperate for revenge, so I gathered all my forces and attacked.”

“I feel like we would have heard about it if there was an attack that big on MACUSA,” Steve pointed out.

“They crushed us like an ant under the heel of their boots,” she said regretfully. “A lot of people and creatures died that night, but the only one you probably heard of was Mar, since his death was used to put the blame on me. To turn me into a murderer in the public eye. I guess it’s fair to blame me anyhow. We never should have attacked so early. We weren’t ready and I put too many lives in danger.”

“What about when you disappeared?” Steve asked. “Were you trying to reignite a dead movement?”

“I was pregnant,” she explained. “The revolution was nothing without our leadership and I had to be away from it to safely give birth. I had two boys that are living with no-maj families. It’s safer that way.”

Steve gave her a pitiful look. She sacrificed her desire for revenge in order to keep her two sons safe, and now she would never get to know them.

“I got back in contact with my allies a few months back. I knew that we were going to have to do something soon, before Osborn grasped even more power. He wants to ensure that he won’t stop ruling once his two terms are over,” Wanda continued. “Skye was my tech girl and I thought that nobody knew about her, as she came from a family of no-majes and had no prior connections to me. I was wrong. They intercepted her and murdered her in the most public way possible.”

Bucky bit his lip and looked down at his feet. Steve remembered how distraught he had been over the younger girl’s death. Perhaps that was why he was so willing to jump right in and help Wanda, even if it was dangerous.

Wanda sighed. “And then there was Steven. He wasn’t that involved, but Osborn and Von Doom knew that he was connected to me somehow, so they took him out in order to spark fear among Ilvermorny students and parents. They had to be sure that anyone who saw me would turn me in and that people would be hunting me down.”

“It obviously worked out pretty well for them,” Bucky said, gesturing toward Steve. 

“It’s too bad that the students here are smarter than they are,” Steve replied with a half-hearted chuckle. “Finding you wasn’t  _ that _ hard.”

“They wanted you to find me,” she told him. “If you turned me in, then the students here would rally behind me. If I told them my story, they wouldn’t trust a word of it if someone like you was against me.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Someone like me?”

“You’re popular, Steve, in a good way You follow the rules, but you aren’t too stuck up about them. You care about this school and you care about this country,” she explained. “People trust you to do the right thing.”

“So, I guess I’m probably disappointing them by being here right now, hearing you out,” he realized.

“No, Steve. You’re doing the right thing,” Bucky assured him, placing a hand upon his shoulder. “You’re pursuing the truth so that you can make the best decision regarding how to improve your country.”

Steve shoved him away, making Bucky frown deeply. “I don’t know what the best decision is yet.”

“You’re still working on it. That’s fine. I wouldn’t blame you for having trust issues,” Wanda replied. “All I ask is that you at least consider what I’ve told you.”

“I’m not entirely convinced, but I think I’ll help you,” he replied. “What you’re saying lines up pretty well with what I’ve heard from others, so I guess I’m on your side.”

Wanda smiled. “Thank god. We have to get to work soon and I think that having you with us might help with recruitment. Together, we can get justice for the dead.”

“I’ll talk more with you later. I should probably go to bed,” Steve informed her and he turned to leave the storeroom.

Bucky followed him. “I’m glad you’re helping us out.”

“Her,” Steve mumbled.

“What?” Bucky asked, pulling Steve aside in the hallway.

“I’m helping Wanda. Not you,” he replied.

“Are you still mad at me?” Bucky asked. “You know the full story now.”

“You lied to me,” Steve pointed out. “And you purposely tried to lead me away from all of this.”

“Well, you saw how you initially acted,” Bucky reasoned. “I was trying to keep you out of it. It’s safer that way anyhow.”

He crossed his arms. “I saw you hiding away in that room with a suspected criminal. Of course I reacted badly. If you would have actually come to me before I got too involved in my investigation and told the truth then-”

“Then what?” Bucky asked. “You would have still freaked out. I was just trying to put off the inevitable.”

“You shouldn’t have lied,” Steve responded, pushing his friend off of him and continuing down the hallway.

Bucky ran to catch up with him and grabbed his arm. “I didn’t want you to get mad at me and, besides, I was told to keep it a secret from everyone, especially you.”

“I thought that I was your best friend. That shouldn’t have stopped you from telling me, Bucky,” Steve pointed out.

“We  _ are _ best friends, Steve. Accepting Wanda and Fury’s offer to be a part of the revolution was one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do in my life for that very reason. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But, in the end, you did,” Steve retorted. “You chose them over me and it hurts. We were best friends and now I feel like I can’t trust you at all.”

“If our positions were reversed, you wouldn’t have told me a thing,” Bucky asserted.

Steve shook his head. “No, Buck. I would have told you everything. I told Sam about all of this and I was closer to you than I am with him.”

Bucky’s eyes widened. “What the fuck? You told Wilson? Shit!”

“I know that I can trust him,” he said. “He won’t tell anyone. He’s the one who convinced me to hear the two of you out.”

“But you haven’t heard me out,” Bucky protested. “You’ve only heard her story.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Steve replied. “I think you’ve basically explained everything in the past few minutes.”

Steve pushed him away and continued down the hallway, desperate to get back to the Pukwudgie room and go to bed.

“Steve, wait,” Bucky pleaded.

He turned around, unable to ignore the person he cared for more than anything. “What could you possibly have to add now?”

“I care about you a hell of a lot more than you know,” Bucky told him. “I guess it doesn’t really matter what you think of me. I just wanted you to know that, for me, you’re everything, Steve.”

“Please don’t make me cry,” Steve mumbled as he continued toward his dorm room, leaving a frowning Bucky behind him.

Sure, Bucky seemed sad, but he’d get over it. He always did. But Steve felt broken. It was like the betrayal had shattered him and nobody had been there to pick up the pieces. He had no idea when or if he could ever truly be pieced back together. Besides Bucky cared about him in a different way and he had no idea how deeply Steve had loved him for years upon years.

Bucky had broken his heart, but maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was good for Steve to stop pining after someone that was so painfully out of his grasp.

Steve didn’t have time to deal with this. It was time for the revolution.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this bitch! I'll try to remember to post like twice a weekish from now on. I'm happy it's done lol  
> [come say hi!](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

_ “It bit me!” Steve cried, pressing down on his left palm with his other hand. He had gotten back from the hospital the day before, as he was having respiratory issues again. And, since he had been gone for nearly a week, he went over to Bucky’s for a sleepover and they found themselves playing in the yard, which was currently infested with gnomes. _

_ Bucky sprinted across the yard to come to his aid, grabbing the creature off the ground by its legs and quickly spun in circles to make it dizzy before chucking it over the neighbor’s fence, from where it would likely return in a day or so. _

_ “Are you okay?” he asked kneeling next to Steve. _

_ Steve nodded, but there were tears in his eyes. Tears that he knew Bucky could see. He tried to put on his bravest face for his friend, but his hand just hurt so bad. _

_ “Let me see it,” Bucky insisted in a soft, careful voice. _

_ He reluctantly pushed his hand toward his friend and removed the one that was covering the bite, revealing his bloody palm. _

_ “It’s not that bad. It just looks worse because of the blood,” Bucky assured him. “Let’s go inside and wash it out. I know we have band-aids somewhere.” _

_ Bucky held out a hand to help him up, uncaring of whether any of Steve’s blood got on him. He walked inside with Steve following and headed straight into the bathroom. _

_ Gently pushing Steve in front of him, Bucky turned on the sink and grabbed his hands in his own, pushing them into the warm water. He squirted some soap onto his own hand and rubbed it on Steve’s. He winced as his friend scrubbed the cut part of his hand, but he knew that Bucky would get it clean. _

_ “It’s still bleeding, so keep your hand under the water,” Bucky instructed as he dried his own hands with the towel hanging next to the sink. He reached up and opened the cabinet behind the mirror, pulling out a small box of plain band-aids. _

_ “Sorry they’re just regular,” Bucky said as he opened the half-empty box. “Becca and I can never agree on a kind to get, so Dad always gets the plain kind.” _

_ “It’s fine. We can’t all have Hot Wheels band-aids,” Steve replied. _

_ “But I can definitely be jealous of you for having them,” he pointed out. “Dry your hands the best you can.” _

_ Steve obeyed his friend and grabbed a hand towel, wiping all the moisture from his hands. When he had finished, Bucky was ready with the band-aids. He used two to completely cover the bite. _

_ “Thank you,” Steve said. He wasn’t crying anymore because most of the pain had dissipated. _

_ “Of course,” Bucky replied. “I shouldn’t have taken you out there anyway. I knew we had a gnome problem and I still went out to the yard with you, even though you only got back from the hospital. I should’ve known better.” _

_ “I’m fine, Buck,” Steve assured him. “It’s just a little cut. No harm done and it’s definitely not your fault.” _

_ “I don’t want you to get hurt,” Bucky informed him. “I’m your best friend. It’s my job to keep you safe.” _

_ “I can take care of myself,” Steve reasoned. “You don’t have to worry about me. Sure, I get sick a lot, but that has nothing to do with the gnomes in your yard.” _

_ “I do worry about you, though,” Bucky said with a sigh. “You matter the most to me. Even more than Dad or Becca. Even more than I used to care about Mom, and she was sicker than you are.” _

_ Steve set a hand on Bucky’s arm. “You matter more than anyone to me too.” _

_ “Promise me that nobody and nothing will get between us,” Bucky said. _

_ “I promise,” Steve said sincerely. “It’s us, Buck. Nothing can ever top that.” _

* * *

“Hey Rogers, wait up!” Tony called from down the hallway, causing Steve to become instantly annoyed.

“What do you need, Tony?” he asked.

“Nothing really,” the other boy shrugged. “I just wanted to chat.”

Steve snorted. “Please. I know you want something, so just get to the point so I can deny it to you.”

“What’s up with you and Barnes?” Tony asked. “You two are usually completely engrossed in one another and now it’s all mopey pining on both ends.”

“I’m angry,  _ not  _ pining,” Steve replied.

“Why?” Tony asked. “What happened? Also, side note, you totally are pining. You never stop pining after him and everyone knows it. It’s okay. Embrace the gay, dude.”

He glared at the other boy for a moment. “I don’t see how any of this is your damn business.”

“Can’t a guy be curious about two of his peers?” Tony reasoned. “It’s a change in dynamic among my future graduating class.”

Steve sighed. “If you must know, he lied to me about something. Something private, so don’t bother asking. But, yeah. It was a pretty big lie and I’m upset that he chose to hide it from me rather than asking me for help or at least cluing me in.”

Tony frowned. “Is he a drug addict?” he asked in a low voice. “You know, there are plenty of programs that can help with that. He needs you now more than ever so you should-”

“He’s not on drugs,” Steve interrupted. “But it’s still private.”

“So let me get this straight,” Tony said. “You’re extremely pissed at Barnes to the extent where you literally go out of your way to ignore him because of  _ one lie _ ?”

“It was a big lie,” Steve restated. “I have a right to be mad.”

“I’m sure you do,” Tony replied. “I’m just surprised. I thought that whatever you and Barnes have or, well  _ had _ , was stronger than that.”

He crossed his arms. “You don’t know the full story. Actually, you don’t even know  _ us _ .”

Tony held his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. I just thought that you cared about him too much to let him go so quickly.”

“I care about Bucky more than anything,” Steve snapped. “Don’t you dare assert otherwise when you don’t know the facts.”

“Then maybe you should stop punishing him for one stupid mistake,” Tony suggested. “I mean, I don’t really care much about either of you, but here I am, approaching you about it. I feel like that should tell you something about the situation.”

Tony turned off to go into the Horned Serpent dorms, leaving Steve standing in the hallway, a bit stunned. He was right. Steve was punishing Bucky over a stupid lie. There was no use in holding a grudge for this long. It was time to make things right.

* * *

Steve returned to the storeroom a few days later and, when he got there, Bucky had yet to arrive.

“Where’s Bucky?” he asked, a bit surprised and maybe a tad disappointed.

“He said that you’d probably be more comfortable if he wasn’t here, so he said that he’d check in with me after we met,” Wanda explained.

“Well, tell him that I’m not uncomfortable when he’s here,” he muttered as a reply.

Wanda cocked an eyebrow. “Look, Steve, I know we were in the same house, but we’re not close enough for me to get involved in your personal issues. I don’t want to act as a go-between for you and Bucky, so you can sort that out yourself.”

He nodded in understanding. It wasn’t her job to deal with this mess that divided them and their fight probably was pretty annoying to her.

“Sorry,” he said. “What did you call me here for?”

“It’s almost time to begin phase one of the plan,” she informed him. “We need to make a move soon, before everyone is focused on final exams and graduation. That’s the issue with an all-teen army.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “But there are three of us. Four if you count Fury. What  _ is _ our first move?” he wondered aloud.

“Recruitment,” she answered. “You’re right. We don’t have the numbers, so we need to change that. Get students that you know will help. Students that you trust. Then we move on to phase 2 and attack.”

“How many do we need?” Steve asked.

“As many as you can get,” Wanda replied with a shrug. “The more we have on our side, the better off we’ll be. I mean, there’s only so much the six of us can do.”

“Six?” Steve wondered. “Who are the other two?”

“I have a few friends in other places,” she replied. “They helped me before and I know that they’re willing to do it again.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll start trying to recruit then. Is there a certain time everyone should meet?” 

Wanda sat there thinking for a moment. “Friday night. One week from today. At ten at night.”

“Sounds good,” he said with a nod.

“And Steve,” Wanda began. “I need to know that you’re completely on board with this.”

“As I said before, I’m in,” he confirmed. “And I’ll talk to Bucky. We’ll figure things out, okay?”

“Alright,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll see you on Friday then.”

* * *

After his meeting with Wanda, Steve went to the Wampus dorms rather than going back to his room. He was going to text Bucky to ask him to open the door, but he ended up getting to the door at the same time as Natasha, so she just let him in.

He was technically supposed to be accompanied by a Wampus student at all times, but Gamora was out for the weekend and none of the other Wampus RAs really cared, so Steve slipped into the hallway that led to Bucky’s room.

When he reached the door, he debated just walking in like he usually did, but he supposed that wasn’t as appropriate given how they hadn’t been speaking much, so he knocked.

“One second,” called Bucky’s muffled voice. 

A few moments later, the door slowly opened, revealing a very disheveled Bucky. He was wearing his favorite hoodie, black boxers, and socks with holes in them. His hair was sticking up in each and every direction.

“Steve,” he said in quiet astonishment. “How did you get in here?”

“Nat let me in,” he explained. “Sorry for showing up out of the blue, but I really had to talk to you.”

Bucky stepped back inside his room, allowing Steve to follow behind him and close the door. It was a disaster zone, but that wasn’t unusual for Bucky’s room. Steve had offered more than once to go in there with a vacuum cleaner and a garbage bag, but Bucky had claimed that he liked its “homey charm.” Everybody else just thought it was gross.

“Look, Steve,” Bucky began. “I should have told you the truth. I’m sorry. For everything.”

“No. That’s what I came here to say,” Steve replied. “I’m sorry. I made this bigger than it was. You’re so important to me, Buck. I was an idiot to let one lie tear us away from each other. We’re stronger than that.”

Bucky stepped forward and threw his arms around Steve, who hugged him back, burrowing his head into the other boy’s shoulder.

“I missed you more than anything,” Bucky said, softly pressing a kiss to his best friend’s hair.

“I’m here,” Steve mumbled. “And I’m not going anywhere, Bucky. I promise.”

“You better not,” he replied with a quiet chuckle. “Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me, Rogers.”

Steve pulled back from him a little but remained in his arms as he stared into his deep blue eyes. “I do like it. Being stuck with you.”

Bucky smiled. “I like it too.”

He stood there for a moment, just staring into Bucky’s beautiful eyes, before he leaned forward, capturing the other boy’s sweet pink lips in his own. He expected Bucky to pull away, but instead he kissed back. It was desperate. They had been waiting for this for days, for months, for  _ years _ . Now that they finally had it, they wouldn’t waste a second. Steve toyed with Bucky’s hair as they kissed. Was it getting longer? Maybe he should grow it out.

Eventually, they pulled away, gasping for air and smiling widely. Steve was happier than he had ever been and now he was truly ready to change the world.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what steve says to the group is inspired what eli said he told him in ya presents #1  
> [catch me on tumblr](http://crackandcanonships.tumblr.com/)

It was time to get to work. Steve and Bucky were on the move, each with their own long list of trusted friends to recruit. Together they would raise an army and, with all of their friends by their sides, they could fix their country.

Sam was the easiest to recruit because he was truly a ride or die friend. He wasn’t going to leave his friends to flounder while he was sitting in his room, studying for DADA.

Next, he asked Bruce and Scott after Arithmancy and both of them were willing to help out after a little bit of convincing.

Steve asked Peter Quill, who was just excited to be included in something and then used his involvement to get Gamora to join.

While he was doing that, Bucky had recruited Clint, Natasha, Rhodey, and a few of his quodpot friends. He was working on recruiting Tony as well, since it would probably more effective for him to be asked by Bucky than by Steve.

There was one person left on Steve’s list: Pietro Maximoff. His recruitment shouldn’t be a problem, but Steve didn’t know how to tell the guy that his sister was indeed alive and that she had been in the castle for weeks. And that he had been right about her innocence.

As soon the boy got up from dinner, Steve dashed out of the dining hall to speak to him. “Pietro, wait. I need to talk to you,” he called.

The Maximoff boy turned around and waited for him. “As I’ve told everyone ever, I have no fucking idea where my sister is.”

“Yeah,” Steve replied, before shifting to a quieter voice. “But I do.”

Pietro’s eyes widened. “How-” he started, stopping when he saw a freshman walk past. “We should go somewhere more private.”

Steve nodded and led him to the RA bathroom, which would likely remain empty, as most people were still eating or back in the dorms studying.

“Where is she?” he asked as soon as they were alone. “Is she safe?”

“She’s safe and she’s upstairs right now,” Steve told him. “Wanda needs your help. The government is dangerous and corrupt and we’re the only ones who can change that. We’ve gathered a team including a ton of other students to help.”

“Listen, I’ll help. Of course I will, but she can explain it to me, okay?” Pietro replied. “She’s innocent, right?”

“Wanda never killed any of them,” Steve confirmed. “A few members of MACUSA did and they pinned everything on her.”

Pietro smiled. “I knew it wasn’t her.”

“We’re meeting at 10 pm on Friday in the quodpot field,” Steve informed Pietro. “We can’t endanger her by having the meeting in her hiding place, but she’ll be there eventually.”

“I’ll see you there,” Pietro confirmed before walking out of the bathroom.

Steve smiled. The team was coming together.

Then, his phone started ringing, Bucky’s name on the screen. He answered it without hesitation.

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky greeted.

“Hey,” he replied. “How’s it going, Buck?”

“You need to be the one to talk to Tony,” Bucky told him. “He doesn’t trust it coming from me. He said you can meet him in the library after it closes.

He sighed. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’ll be there.”

* * *

Sure enough, when Steve arrived at the library just after its closing, Tony was already sitting inside at one of the tables, a book about magical technology cracked open in front of him.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Steve said.

Tony looked up. “Yeah, come sit down.”

“Don’t act like you’re my damn boss,” Steve grumbled as he took the seat across from Tony.

“So I hear you’re in contact with Wanda Maximoff,” Tony began. “And you want my help at taking down our so-called corrupt government.”

“Yes, that is an excellent summary. And not our ‘so-called corrupt government.’ There isn’t much of a question in it. They’re corrupt.,” he replied. “ But I digress. It seems like Bucky has already explained the whole situation for you.”

“Why do you want my help?” Tony asked. “It’s no secret that you despise me and I’m sure you already have Banner and his brains on board with this.”

“We need as many allies as we can get,” Steve told him. “Wanda asked us to recruit everyone that we knew that we could trust.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. “You trust me?”

“You haven’t ratted us out yet, have you?” he pointed out.

The other boy was silent for a moment. “I guess that’s fair. But how did you know that I wouldn’t rat you out?”

“Sure, you’re completely insufferable,” Steve began. “But after you confronted me about Bucky, I realized that maybe you aren’t that bad. You actually do care about people other than yourself. If there’s a chance to save the world, you wouldn’t miss out on it.”

“Fair explanation. For what it’s worth, I definitely don’t think you’re as bad as you think that I do,” he replied. “Pepper and I are in. See you Friday.”

“We’re going to have to work together,” Steve reminded him. “Are you sure that won’t be a problem at all?”

“It’s not going to be unless you make it one,” Tony replied. “I think we’ve proved tonight that it’s possible for the two of us to get along, especially when there’s so much at stake.”

“Good,” Steve said with a curt nod.

“Wow, Rogers, I’m starting to feel like we could become friends someday,” Tony joked.

Steve rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t count on it,” he replied before walking out of the library.

There were plenty of students ready to help. Now all they needed was a plan.

* * *

Steve left early on Friday night so that he would be in the quodpot field by the time other people began to arrive. Wanda would be arriving shortly after 10, as arriving exactly on time could prove to be an issue if any of their friends were less trustworthy than they thought.

When Steve walked into the common room, nobody was around, which made him relieved. No people meant no questions.

He tiptoed to the door and was about to open it when he heard a familiar voice from across the room.

“Hi, Steve. Where are you headed?” asked Peter.

One person meant probably about a billion questions.

“Just,” Steve stopped for a moment, trying to think of an excuse. “Out. I’m going out.”

Peter squinted. “That sounds pretty suspicious.”

“Secret RA business,” Steve lied.

“You can tell me the truth,” Peter replied. “Are you going to see Bucky? Are you two finally together?”

“Yes?” Steve answered.

“Oh, so it’s complicated, huh?” Peter asked.

“Not complicated. We’re together,” Steve said in reply.

“So you’re not leaving to go make out with him then,” Peter inferred. “So where are you headed then?”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Steve asked him, attempting to divert the conversation.

“It’s not even 9:45 yet,” Peter pointed out. “Besides I have far too much energy to go to bed anytime soon. I was actually sending memes to my group chat with my friends from middle school. Oh wait, you’re wizard born. Do you know what memes are? Who am I kidding, you’re basically an old man. So anyway it’s like a cultural inside joke if that makes sense-”

“I really have to go,” Steve said, interrupting Peter’s endless chattering. God, he loved that kid, but he did  _ not _ know how to stop talking.

“Can I come?” Peter asked.

“No,” Steve said sternly. “You can go back to your room and text your old friends some more or something.”

“You’re up to something,” he stated. “Come on, Steve. I’m so bored. I want in on your adventure, whatever it is.”

“Absolutely not,” Steve replied, crossing his arms.

“At the very least, you could at least tell me what’s going on,” Peter suggested. “Then I’ll leave you alone.”

Steve sighed and motioned for Peter to come closer. The last thing he wanted was for somebody to overhear and bust them at the first meeting.

Peter grinned and ran across the room, looking up at Steve expectantly.

“Wanda Maximoff is in the castle,” he told Peter, who didn’t give him a chance to continue.

“What? She’s here?” he exclaimed in a panicked voice. “Steve, you can’t face her alone. We all saw what happened to Steven Strange and you’re like, the best RA ever. I can’t lose you forever at the hands of a psycho killer!”

“She’s innocent. The government has been hunting her for years as well as using her as a scapegoat for their own murders,” Steve explained. “Me and a few others are going to go meet with her. We’re bringing the fight to them soon.”

Peter’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god!” he nearly yelled, his volume causing Steve to wince. “Can I come with?”

“Not a chance,” Steve replied. “Peter, you are to stay here and go to bed.”

“But I want to help,” he reasoned. “And you could use all the hands that you can get if you’re taking down this evil government.”

“It’s not safe,” Steve reminded him. “There’s no way I’m putting you in danger, kid.”

“I’m  _ fourteen _ ,” Peter protested. “I’ll be fifteen in 32 days and like two hours. You’re only eighteen. It’s not all that far apart. I can help.”

“You’re too young, whether you like it or not,” he replied. “You were raised in a no-maj household and therefore have less than a year of magical training. I can’t endanger you by pitting you against fully grown wizards.”

“What if I promised not to get hurt?” Peter suggested.

“You can’t make that promise,” Steve responded. “If you do this, you’ll be a target and I’m not sure you can defend yourself.”

“I’m not going to sit by while my friends put themselves in the line of fire,” Peter argued. “I want to help and it’s better that I do it with you than on my own.”

Steve pointed to Peter’s phone. “You have friends there too. Protect them. The rest of us are older than you. We can handle ourselves, Pete.”

I can handle myself,” Peter promised. “I want to fight alongside you. Let me do it. If you were in my place, you’d do the same.”

Thinking back to his youth, Steve saw that Peter was right. Even when he was a sickly, skinny kid, Steve wouldn’t back down from a fight if it meant protecting his friends and his country. Peter just wanted the same and who was Steve to refuse it.

“Don’t get hurt,” Steve ordered, motioning for Peter to join him. “And you need to remain absolutely silent until we get there.”

Peter nodded and made a motion as to zip his lips, so Steve slowly opened the door and led him through the hallways until they reached the quodpot field, where half the group was waiting. So much for going early.

“You brought the kid?” Tony asked upon seeing Peter.

“He refused to stay back,” Steve shrugged.

“I’m going to help,” Peter informed him. 

Tony glared at Steve for a moment. “He better not get hurt.”

Slowly, everyone else began to file in. They all took seats in the field, looking up toward Steve and Bucky expectantly.

“Where is she?” Gamora asked. “I swear, if you’re wasting my time on this-”

“She’s running late, but she’ll be here,” Bucky assured her. “Trust me, she needs us. All of us.”

“I want to hear from Steve,” piped up a voice from the crowd. It was Rhodey of all people, even though he was usually fairly quiet. “You consider yourself to be this big, great patriot, but here you are, assembling a group of teenagers to commit treason and possibly kill some of the people running out country. Why are you acting against the MACUSA rather than supporting it, like you claim?”

“By doing this, I am supporting my country,” Steve argued.

“How so?” asked some Thunderbird student in the crowd.

“I think it comes down to what I truly believe patriotism is,” Steve began. “Patriotism isn’t about blindly supporting your government, no matter what they do. It’s about knowing what your country could be, what it  _ should be _ , and trying to lead it there by your own example. It’s important to hold your government accountable when the people running it fail your country. We can’t sit by and let these rich old men ruin our country by making deals with cruel dictators and exterminating other humanoid creatures while simultaneously stomping on the youth, or peers, who are brave enough to hold them responsible for their heinous actions. We need to fight to make America better because who else will. This isn’t about Wanda Maximoff. It never was. This is about making our country a better place both for ourselves and for the generations that come after us. Anyone here who is willing to put up a fight for a better America, anyone who is willing to potentially put their life in the line,  _ you _ are the true patriot here, not the men who make the rules that perpetuate the same awful acts. This is a revolution for the betterment of everyone.”

“I couldn’t have phrased it better myself,” said a voice from behind him. Steve turned around to see Wanda stepping off her broom. “Everyone here who stands to fight for our country is truly an American hero. So, tell me, who stands with me? Who stands with the United States of America?”

Everyone stood up and cheered and Steve knew that his message had drilled its way into every one of their hearts. They weren’t just a team. They were an army and they were going to bring justice to their country.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [i have a new url yeye](http://transjonas.tumblr.com/)

It was time for them to make their first move. Wanda’s friends were going to arrive tonight and then they were going to begin. In the morning, they would either be victors, rogues, or dead. Steve felt like they actually had a chance, though. Nobody would be expecting an attack of this magnitude, as they thought Wanda was either acting alone or with few friends. That is, if they even knew she was active again.

Everyone was gathered in the art storeroom and it was quite crowded, but nobody would think to look there, especially at a time where the students were thought to be in their rooms, doing homework or getting ready for bed.

People were chattering quietly, but Steve could sense the nerves in the air. What they were going to do was beyond dangerous and nobody really knew the plan yet, so he didn’t blame them for their restlessness.

The door slammed open and everyone turned toward it, fearing the worst, but it was a stranger. He was tall and well built with short blond hair. Instead of a right eye, he wore a small black eyepatch.

What was perhaps more concerning. It was a fully grown panther, stalking into the room with confidence. The creature wasn’t on a leash, not that that would do much. The students backed away from the pair of them, fearing the animal would bite them.

The man and the panther made their way directly to a smiling Wanda and, upon reaching her, the panther transformed and became a dark-skinned man.

She wrapped the both of them into a big hug. “Thor, T’Challa, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” replied the blond man in an accent that almost sounded British, but Steve knew better. He was Thor Odinson, Norway’s star seeker and a student at Durmstrang Institute of Magic.

The other man was a student at Uagadou, where many of the students were animagi. He was T’Challa, prince of Wakanda, which was an African nation where most people possessed a gift with magic and everyone, no-maj or wizard, knew the truth about it.

“We are ready to fight,” T’Challa said. “We must deliver the justice that you deserve. My younger sister wanted to join, but I forced her to remain home for her own safety.”

“Good decision,” Wanda replied. “The last thing I want is for Shuri to get hurt. Or worse.”

“Shall we introduce ourselves to our new allies?” asked Thor.

Wanda shook her head. “I’ll do it.”

“Listen up,” she said loudly, all eyes turning toward her. “This is Thor and T’Challa, foreign students that are here to help us. I know that you’ve been anxious about not knowing the plan, but I’m ready to tell you. Our first battle is here. Tonight we take the fight to the office of Dr. Victor von Doom.”

The room burst into chatter. Nobody had expected that they would be fighting at school, especially so early in the revolution.

“Nobody will be expecting us because nobody knows we’re here,” she continued. “Dr. Von Doom has a meeting tonight, according to the teacher I’ve been working with. His guest list includes President Osborn and Thanos, both of which are higher ups working on hunting down vampires and collaborating with Emperor Dorrek of Brazil. They’re powerful wizards, but it will only be them and three others at the meeting. We have the numbers and, therefore, we have the power, so let’s get going.”

The room burst into cheers. They wanted to fight. They needed to fight. And it was time.

“One more thing before we go,” Wanda added. “The following students will be staying back tonight, no exceptions: Peter Parker, Gamora, Pietro, Bobbi Morse, Scott Lang, and Bruce Banner.”

The six listed started murmuring in protest, but it was Peter who spoke up. “We came here to fight for our country. How can you deny that to us?”

“I said no exceptions not ‘Peter please argue,’” Wanda replied. “But I need some people to hang back for two reasons. One, I don’t want them to know our full power quite yet. There will be another battle, whether we like it or not and I want them to underestimate us. Second, if this goes awry and we need to regroup later, I want people on the inside. Gamora is Dr. Von Doom’s most trusted student as well as the daughter of Thanos. I don’t want her to be seen as a rebel quite yet.”

“I’m not powerful or an asset,” Peter protested. “Why can’t I fight tonight.”

“Peter, you’re both,” Wanda argued. “You’re the most dedicated person in the room and that’s more powerful than any level of training. Your time will come. I promise you that.”

Peter nodded, ending the argument.

“The six that I listed, go to bed. The rest of you come with me,” Wanda commanded. “We have a battle to win.”

She marched out the doors with Thor and T’Challa at her sides and everyone followed her, save the six that went back to bed. Wanda had a weird level of confidence that spread to her young army, even though her confidence was likely just a front.

“Remember,” Bucky called back to the students “We aim to maim and bind, but we do not under any circumstances kill. We’re better than they are. Right, Wanda?”

“Sure,” she replied a bit lackluster as she continued toward the office.

Steve looked to Bucky with alarm. He didn’t want to lose this battle, but he also didn’t want to be a killer or to be associated with one. He had chosen to associate with Wanda because she was innocent and changing that might make him distance from her.

Wanda pulled her wand out and held it up in the air as they began to approach the office and everyone else did the same. She stood in front of the door and everyone flanked around her.

Without a word, she cast a spell that sent the door flying off its hinges and into the office.

Dr. Von Doom appeared on the other side of the doorway, wand in hand. “Wanda Maximoff,” he said. “What a surprise! I can’t say I’m happy to see you, but I’m glad my students have come to turn you in.”

“We’re not turning her in,” Peter Quill shouted. “We’re delivering justice for our dead friends!”

Dr. Von Doom glared at him for a moment, since he obviously didn’t get the sarcasm. “Well, I see you’re taking anyone into your little rebellion,” he told her. “You could do better. I happen to know that Mr. Quill’s girlfriend would have been a better asset in every way. That is, if you could trick her into joining you.”

“Well, maybe she would join because she knows that her dad is a total dick!” Peter exclaimed.

Thanos peeked out from the doorway and Peter’s eyes grew about three sizes as he clumsily stepped back behind some other students.

“Your father isn’t here to save you right now, Wanda,” Dr. Von Doom said. “And, from the looks of the crowd, your brother isn’t here either. It’s truly a shame that you’re going to have to die without your family by your side. Not that they’ll miss you much anyway. It’ll just be more of that same. Them living their lives and you not mattering.”

“Expelliarmus,” Wanda shrieked, sending the principal fling back into his office. Her magic was powerful, but Steve could tell it was emotionally-driven, which meant she lacked control. It could get dangerous.

She bounded into the office and they all followed. There were six people there, just like she had said. The three that she hadn’t named earlier Steve was able to place as members of MACUSA.

The others stepped in front of the principal as he bent down for his wand, holding off the crowd of students that were attempting to get through the tiny doorway. It slowed them down, which meant some of the other students were forced to stay back. Steve didn’t see Bucky in the room, so he knew he was still in the hallway. Good. That meant that he was safe.

Steve pointed his wand at a woman from MACUSA and cast flipendo but the woman, who was far more experienced than he, countered his spell, sending him flying back into the wall.

“Are you okay?” asked Clint, who rushed to his side.

“I’m fine,” Steve groaned, just got the air knocked out of me. “Where’s Bucky?”

“He and Nat are guarding the hallway since there’s not enough room here,” he explained.

Steve pushed himself off the wall. “Well, we have to keep fighting.”

He heard Thanos yell ‘Incendio!’ and suddenly fire was blasting from his wand, straight into Sam, who immediately threw himself on the ground and rolled back and forth.

Suddenly, their opponents began to disappear, apparating who knows where. The first battle had been somewhat of a stalemate, but at least they weren’t the ones who ended up retreating.

“Fuck!” Wanda shouted. “We need to leave stat. Every last one of us.”

“Why?” asked Rhodey. “If they come back, we can take them. They might have more training, but we have the numbers.”

“Are you kidding?” she asked. “Every auror on the continent is going to be here within 15 minutes. We need to go and it has to be now.”

They stopped in front of Peter Quill, who was sitting on the floor, looking at his legs curiously.

“What happened to you?” Tony inquired.

“Jelly legs,” he said with a nod. “It feels weird but cool at the same time.”

Tony rolled his eyes and walked away. 

Steve made his way over to Peter and helped him up. “We might need to swipe some Skele-Gro from the hospital wing before leaving. It’s going to hurt like absolute hell, but you’ll need your legs for the next battle.”

Peter nodded. “Maybe Gamora will nurse me back to health.”

Thor burst out into laughter. “Gamora is the serious one, yes? There is no way she’ll sit with you at your bedside when there’s a battle to be one.”

“Except she’s my  _ girlfriend _ ,” Peter replied, glaring at Thor.

He shrugged. “Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she must nurse you and tend to your every need.”

“I never said that!” Peter exclaimed, squirming out of Steve’s arms to step forward but instead landing flat on his face.

Thor chuckled and picked up Peter, throwing him over his shoulder. “I like you, my friend.”

Once Steve made it into the hallway, Bucky barreled toward him, wrapping him in his arms. After a few moments he pulled back and pressed a kiss to his lips, not caring who could see them. Nobody seemed all too surprised anyway.

“Not that I didn’t enjoy that, but what gives?” Steve asked after they pulled apart.

Bucky smiled. “I’m just happy you’re here in one piece. It sounded a bit rough in there and I couldn’t see inside.”

“I’m okay, Buck,” Steve replied. “I can take care of myself. I promise.”

Bucky offered a half smile. “I know. You’re not that little kid that I can protect anymore.”

“Just focus on protecting yourself,” he told his boyfriend. “I need you to be okay too.”

“I promise,” Bucky replied. “We’re going to win and both of us are going to come out of this without a scratch.”

Steve embraced his boyfriend again, sealing the promise they had just made. They were going to be fine and they were going to be together until the end.

“Listen up!” Wanda called. “There’s a place a few miles away from the school in the woods. It’s an old hunting cabin, but it definitely hasn’t been occupied in years. We’re going there and the beds are reserved for the injured. I need someone to collect the others that stayed behind. They wanted to fight this battle and I can’t deny them that.”

“Leave Peter here,” Tony requested.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Who asked you to give orders? The kid wants to fight, so he’s with us. It’s dangerous for him to be alone here. He might try to start his own battle within the castle when he has no backup. Or, even worse, they might take him and torture him to get to us.”

“He’s not fighting though,” Tony replied.

“You are not his parent and you are not in charge here,” she said. “If he wants to fight for what’s right, I can’t stop him. I was only a year older than him when I began my battle for vengeance.”

Tony looked like he was about to say something else but Clint butted in. “I’ll go get them and bring them back here. I’m a RA so I can get into all of the halls.”

“Thank you,” she said. “The rest of you, fetch anything you desperately need and nothing more. And someone get some Skele-Gro for Peter.”

Everyone scattered, gathering everything they needed for the indefinite future. They weren’t going to give up. They were going to win because together they were unstoppable.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [come say hi!](http://transjonas.tumblr.com/)

There were only three beds in the entire cabin, which meant that the people who were in working order had to sleep on the floor. It was hard to sleep the first night. Everyone was so worried about what was to come and about what was going to happen to the people that they had left behind. Also, Peter Quill screamed quite a few times in the night as his bones slowly started to grow back.

There were too many people in the cabin and everyone was so crammed together. In the chaos, Steve didn’t even get to sleep beside Bucky, which made it even harder. Instead, he ended up snuggled up between Peter Parker and Thor.

“Do you think I’ll get to fight soon?” Peter whispered as Steve was desperately trying to fall asleep. “I’m gonna pull some major moves on those old guys, just you wait! Last semester I dueled a sophomore and I won so I think it’s apparent that I have some natural talent.”

“Peter,” Steve interrupted quietly. “The battle will come faster if we go to sleep, right?”

“Time does not pass differently when our eyes are closed,” said Thor from his other side.

Peter nodded in agreement. “I mean, time may be fake, but Thor Odinson, the best seeker in the world, is right.”

Thor sat up and reached over Steve to shake Peter’s hand. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan such as yourself, even if the situation is as dire as this one.”

“Oh my god, I’m shaking Thor’s hand,” Peter squealed. “Sir, it is such an honor. I have posters of you all over my dorm room. I can’t have them at home because my friends are all no-majes and none of them know about me except Ned, who isn’t even supposed to know, but he found out on accident because he came over one and I-”

“Can you please release my hand now?” Thor requested.

He pulled his hand back. “Oh yeah, I’m sorry. Sometimes I just get so wrapped up in what I’m saying that I forget about what’s happening around me.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Thor chuckled. “My brother happens to love the sound of his own voice.”

Steve clamped his hands over his ears to drown out their conversation. It took a while, but eventually he was able to fall asleep.

* * *

“Steve, get up. We need a strategy,” said a voice nearby. He blinked his eyes open to see Wanda standing above him.

“I’m coming. Just give me a second,” he said. She nodded and walked out the front door to the cabin.

During the night, both Peter and Thor had managed to attach themselves to him. Steve moved Thor’s arms off of him a bit carelessly, but he didn’t wake up. He took mo care with Peter, who was clinging on much more tightly. It took a few minutes, but eventually Steve was able to free himself and join Wanda outside.

She was sitting on a log near an empty fire pit. Bucky, T’Challa, Gamora, Tony, Sam, Natasha, and Clint were already sitting around the pit.

“Should I have woken up Thor?” Steve asked before sitting next to Bucky and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“There would be no point,” T’Challa replied. “I’ve worked with him before. That man only wakes up on his own terms.”

“We can fill him in later,” Wanda said. “We need to get started. There’s only a matter time until they find us. A quarter of Ilvermorny is missing and there’s no way they’ll stop searching until we’re found.”

“We can move to a new hiding place until we’re ready,” Sam suggested.

“Where?” Wanda asked. “Is there a place you know of?”

He shook his head. “Nowhere specifically, but if we can find a portkey, we might be able to go to a different country or something.”

“Then what?” Gamora replied. “Keep hopping across the globe? These people came to fight, Sam. We’re not runners. We need to bide what time we have and plan for an attack.”

“I think we should attack now,” Natasha suggested. “They won’t be expecting us to bounce back so fast and we need to take advantage of it.”

Gamora crossed her arms. “Peter’s still bedridden and I know a few of the other injured people need time.”

“Bruce Banner says that they will be strong enough come tomorrow,” T’Challa said. “We can attack then.”

“Since when is Banner a medical professional?” Tony asked.

“He’s what we have,” Sam replied. “He gets the best potions grades in the school. The boy knows how to whip up some good antidotes.”

“Are we ready, though?” asked Bucky. “I mean, they walked away without a scratch last night and we’re just lucky that everyone survived.”

“What do you think?” Wanda asked, looking toward Steve. “It seems that we’re pretty split on this and I trust your judgement.”

Steve paused for a moment to consider the options, as both sides had made very good points. He thought about Peter Parker, who was excited to battle the night prior, despite the risks.

“I think we need to attack as soon as we can,” he said. “Because if we wait any longer, they’re going to spread lies about us like they did to Wanda. Everyone will be on their side and we’ll have no hope. We have the numbers right now, so let’s take advantage.”

She nodded. “So, now we need to make a plan. I know MACUSA will meet tomorrow morning. I think it’s likely that we’ll meet our opponents there. There will also be a chance to recruit some more experienced witches and wizards to our side.”

“But they have the chance to do the same,” Natasha pointed out. “It’s a huge risk. We’re in a war now and we can’t afford to lose it so quickly.”

“We can’t afford not to try,” Steve reasoned. “This is our shot and we need to take it.”

“Should we sit there and wait for them to arrive?” asked Bucky.

Wanda shook her head. “No, they’ll have access to the exits that way. We need to try to trap them in the room.”

“We have to storm in during the middle of a session,” Gamora said with a nod. “Come in through all exits.”

“We need to come in wands ablazing,” Wanda agreed. “Which means that we need to tell everyone that they shouldn’t be afraid to kill.”

“I’m sorry, are my hearing aids off?” Clint interjected. “Because it sounded to me like you’re encouraging murder.”

“This is a war,” she reminded him. “They aren’t going to stop to spare any of us, so why wouldn’t we fight back in the same way.”

“Because we’re better than them,” Steve answered. “We have to win without killing if it’s at all possible.”

“I’m not saying that we need to use any unforgivable curses, but we can’t hold back our magic out of fear of causing serious harm,” she clarified. “The sooner we win this, the sooner that we’ll be safe.”

“So, let me be sure I’m understanding,” T’Challa said. “Our plan is to show up at MACUSA and fight and that’s all? It seems to be flawed.”

“What other plays do we have?” asked Bucky. “There’s no time for polyjuice potion, so we can’t go undercover. They’d pick a teenager out of the crowd in a heartbeat.”

“We’re stronger than you think, T’Challa. We can win this,” Wanda assured them. “You all better rest up today. Tomorrow is when everything changes.”

* * *

After returning to the cabin, Steve decided to check on Peter Quill. Fortunately, most people were awake by then and had dispersed throughout the area inside and outside the cabin, so he didn’t need to worry about stepping on others on his way over to his friend.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked the injured boy once he had reached the room he was staying in.

“My legs literally feel like they’re on fire,” he groaned. “But I know this is the end of it. I should be walking by morning.”

Steve nodded. “That’s good. So, you think you’ll be ready for an even bigger battle?”

“Ready?” Peter replied. “Do you even have to ask that? I was born ready, Rogers. I’m going to kick Thanos in the nuts so hard that he not only can’t have any more kids, but that Nebula’s birth and conception cancel themselves in the past.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “I thought Gamora said that both of them were adopted.”

“They were, but you get the sentiment,” he said. “Thanos is a shitty dad and a shitty guy and he deserves the worst. And Nebula sucks too.”

“Wow, Gamora, he really is a keeper,” said a girl with a shaved head standing beside Gamora.

“Jokes on you because I don’t even play quidditch!” he exclaimed.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Look, not that I even like you, but you could do like a hundred times better.”

Gamora pointed to the girl. “Steve, this is my bitch sister, Nebula. She’s come to help. She can’t do magic, but she has a knife and is pretty good at fucking people up.”

“If she wants to help, we’ll be glad to take it,” he said with a shrug.

“Don’t do it!” Peter shouted. “She’s rude and mean and she’s probably going to betray us!”

Nebula flipped him off. “I hate my dad more than anyone. I can’t wait to drive this knife into his slimy fucking throat.”

“She’s kind of the worst, but we can trust her,” Gamora assured Steve. “Usually, she’d betray me any day of the week just out of spite, but we share the very same distaste for our god awful father, so she won’t hesitate to harm him or his equally terrible friends.”

“You can definitely help us, Nebula,” Steve said to the girl.

“See you on the battlefield, Quill. Try not to wet your pants,” she said before walking away.

“Yeah, well I’m not even wearing pants right now!” he yelled back.

“I think she meant tomorrow,” Steve told him.

“The sentiment, Steve!” he exclaimed. “The sentiment!”

“He’s on a fuckton of pain potions, so he’s even more delusional than usual,” Gamora explained. “I can take care of him. Go do your fancy hero stuff or whatever.”

He nodded before leaving to find something else that he could do to pass the time and avoid thinking about the upcoming battle.

* * *

That night, Steve and Bucky were able to find on another before bed. They tried to find a more secluded place in the crowded cabin, which meant they were squeezed into the corner of one of the rooms.

They shared a blanket, since some people hadn’t had time to bring one and they had two. They preferred to share anyway. They laid there for a while, holding one another and just staring into the other’s eyes. Sleep wasn’t going to come easy and they both knew it.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Bucky whispered.

“You won’t,” Steve promised. “Tomorrow won’t be the end of us. We haven’t been together long enough to lose everything.”

“A very optimistic outlook from Steven Grant Rogers,” Bucky replied. “But if anything happens to me, promise that you’ll be able to move on someday.”

Steve frowned. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you, Buck.”

“Just promise,” he insisted.

He nodded. “Okay, I promise. Do you promise to do the same? If I die, you’ll move on.”

“There will never be someone I love as much as I love you,” Bucky admitted. “But if it comes to it, I guess I’ll try. I don’t think it will, though. You’ve always been a fighter.”

“And you’re a warrior,” Steve reasoned. “It’s in your house name. We’re going to get out of this together and we’re going to win.”

Bucky smiled half-heartedly. “I mean, we didn’t come here to lose.”

“Exactly,” Steve murmured before letting out a small yawn.

“We should get some sleep,” Bucky said. “Or at least try. Tomorrow could very well be the biggest day of our lives.”

“Until our wedding,” Steve amended.

This time, Bucky’s smile seemed more genuine. “Until our wedding,” he echoed.

Steve pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips before drifting to sleep in his arms, not knowing whether he’d be sleeping in the same arms the next day, or ever again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm happy to be done posting this fic but idk how i feel about it   
> [come say hi!](http://transjonas.tumblr.com/)

Someone woke him up at around five in the morning, but Steve was too tired to pay attention to who it was. Today was the day.

There was chatter in the kitchen that he decided to follow, only to find Wanda and a few others in there talking.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“We’re leaving in five minutes,” Wanda informed him. “Scott is already there. He said that we’ll get in undetected.”

“You should’ve woken me up sooner. I could have helped,” he replied.

Bucky walked into the room. “I told her that you could use some sleep.”

“Not now. Not when there’s a battle to be fought,” he protested.

“Steve,” Bucky said, setting his hand on his shoulder. “You never stop working and you never give up and it’s something that I absolutely love about you, but you have to know when to rest up.”

“Not when everyone else is working,” Steve argued. “I’m not a born warrior like you are.”

“I know Wampus favors warriors,” Bucky replied. “But you’re a Pukwudgie. You’re putting your whole heart into this, and that makes you a more valuable warrior than I could ever be.”

“Everyone is the most valuable person here,” Wanda said. “We’re a team of people who just want to do some good. There’s more value in that than what they have, which is sheer hunger for money and power.”

“We’re going to win today,” said a voice from the doorway. Steve turned to see Peter Parker standing there. 

“Peter, are you sure that you want to do this?” Steve asked him.

He replied with a firm nod. “I want to fight for a better world than the one we’re living in. If that means risking my life, so be it.”

“Even if the wizarding world were to totally collapse, you still have friends outside of it,” Steve reminded him. “I know your heart is in this fight, but I can’t see you get hurt.”

“Steve, I know you worry about me because I’m just a kid, but I’m only a few years younger than you are. I want to fight and I’m going to do it no matter what the rest of you say, like I said before,” he said. “I’ll try my hardest to stay near the back and avoid injury.”

Wanda checked the watch on her wrist. “We need to head out. Wake everyone up. There’s a portkey a few miles out that will put us in walking distance of MACUSA, since I know not everyone can apparate. Meet out front in five.”

Everyone nodded and went to collect the remaining teenage warriors and meet outside. They were going to do this. They were going to win.

* * *

It was still early when they arrived in the capital. A few commuters were out, but not many. They got a few strange looks when they passed, but the people seemed to brush it off. They probably just assumed that it was a school field trip. It kind of was, in a way, but it was obviously unsanctioned by the principal.

The MACUSA building was empty when they arrived. Eerily empty. Steve knew that they were supposed to arrive before the congress members, but there wasn’t a sound in the entire building. No secretaries to sneak past or bodybind. No janitors mopping the bathrooms.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Sam murmured, echoing all of their sentiments.

“Scott said he took care of everything, right?” Bruce said, a bit nervously.

“Yeah,” Bucky said. “But that meant any curses that could detect us. I’m not sure if he got rid of the people too.”

“We need to be careful,” Wanda told the group. “Turning back isn’t an option now. This is it.”

“But what if it’s not safe?” Bruce asked. “We can go back, regroup, and plan something new.”

“They have Scott. We don’t have much of an option,” Sam pointed out.

Bruce swallowed before nodding slowly..

“Scott’s one man. We can sacrifice him if we need to,” suggested Tony.

“You’re welcome to leave whenever you please,” Rhodey said to him. “But I’m going to stay here and fight for my classmate.”

Finally, the approached the door that led to the congress chamber. Wanda and Steve stepped to the front and slowly and quietly pushed open the big doors. It was empty. They all filed in and turned toward the door, waiting for their enemies to appear.

“Well, I wasn’t informed that students would be visiting today,” said a voice from behind them. They turned to see President Osborn appear from behind the presiding chair and sit in it. “I’m afraid that the building is closed today. There was a minor gas leak. Nothing too serious, but we wouldn’t want anyone to become ill. I suggest all of you leave, save Miss Maximoff. She’s quite dangerous, you know.”

“She’s only dangerous because you murder anyone she associates with because you can’t have people knowing what kind of scum you are,” Bucky spat.

The other students nodded in agreement. 

“I think we’ll be staying,” Steve said. 

“You seem like smart students. How about I offer you a deal?” President Osborn asked before snapping his fingers.

Beside him, countless people appeared. Everyone from the office was there along with some aurors and a few of his foreign associates. Thanos stood just to his right with Scott in his arms, his wand pointed to the side of the boy’s head.

“You hand us Miss Maximoff and anyone who’s been harboring her, and the rest of you go free,” he offered. “If not, well I’m afraid the United States will be down one very promising curse breaker.”

“Let them kill me,” Scott said. “At least I’d be dying for something that’s actually important.”

Steve took a moment to scan the crowd of people they were facing and made eye contact with Mr. Fury, who winked at him. They had at least one ally up there. They couldn’t give up.

“I don’t think I like these terms,” Steve said, stepping forward. “How about we try a different deal. You all resign and turn yourselves in and you give us Scott. It’ll spare you the embarrassment of being demolished by a bunch of teenagers.”

“Clearly they aren’t offering enough business classes at Ilvermorny,” President Osborn turned toward Dr. von Doom. “You should be teaching your students about how negotiation works. Especially when somebody else holds all of the cards.”

“We’re not going to stand down,” Bucky said, stepping forward to stand next to Steve and holding his hand. “This is about something more important than any of our lives. This is about what is free and just.”

One by one, everybody stepped forth. Nobody was going to stand down, no matter the cost.

President Osborn sighed. “Okay, then. Thanos, get rid of the boy.”

Before he could get a word out, Clint stepped forward and shouted “Incendio!” sending a blast straight into Thanos’ face, causing him to release Scott, who made a break for his friends.

And then, it was on.

Wanda was shouting directions, and everyone listened. Peter Parker went back to cast a spell to lock the doors so they wouldn’t be flanked by anyone on the outside. Steve was glad that she sent him to do a relatively safe task. 

A woman hit Steve with “stupefy” sending him flying to a very annoyed Gamora.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he grunted.

“Then get up and keep going,” she said, before casting the knee-reversing hex at some congressman, which caused him to topple over. “You can recover when this is over.”

“Thanks,” he said as he pulled himself up. “And good work.”

He turned to see a woman coming up behind Bucky, so he cast a quick trip jinx that sent her to the ground and caught Bucky’s attention. He sent a grateful smile in Steve’s direction before turning to take care of the woman.

“You know, Mr. Rogers, I thought you’d be better at respecting authority and following orders,” said a voice from behind him. He turned to find Dr. von Doom standing there, his wand pointed at Steve’s skull. “That’s why I made you one of my most cherished RAs. Too bad you were just a big disappointment.”

He sent the entrail-expelling curse Steve’s way, but he was able to stop it. Dr. von Doom wasn’t playing around. He was trying to kill Steve.

“Expelliarmus!” Steve yelled, but  Dr. von Doom blocked it without a problem.

“See, this is your problem, Steven. You’re far too nice,” Dr. von Doom chuckled, sending another hex his way, which he blocked with ease. Steve sent back stupefy, which Dr. von Doom stopped again. “You’re not playing to win, Mr. Rogers. You think simple disarming spells will stop us? Please.”

Steve glared at for a moment and then cast Incarcerous. Dr. von Doom was unable to stop this spell and found himself bound in thick, inescapable ropes. That would keep him occupied until the end of the battle.

He turned in time to see Wanda casting fiendfyre, which reduced President Osborn to ashes. Well, she was a murderer now, but Steve supposed it was more a reflection of their warlike situation than an element of her personal character.

That left one big enemy left. Thanos. Before becoming a congressman, he had been a well-known auror, which made him one of the most dangerous people in the room.

There were a few other people still upright, but most of their enemies were gone. Unfortunately, even more of the students were on the ground. Even with President Osborn dead, Thanos could help his injured colleagues. If they were going to win, they had to take him out and now there were people protecting him. Hope seemed nearly lost, but that didn’t mean that it was time to give up.

Steve went to the middle to gear up with the other students that were in fighting condition. It was only him, Wanda, Bucky, Peter Parker, and Sam. Which meant that they were screwed.

Then, there was a crashing sound and people raced through the door. It seemed that Peter’s charm hadn’t held up as well as they had hoped.

There was a skinny pale man with long black hair and he was flanked by about fifteen people.

“Loki!” Wanda called.

“When my idiot brother leaves for too long, I know he’s up to something. This time I think I’d like to be on the right side of history, since I cannot save him not,” he announced. “Sif and the Norwegian auror team are here to assist.”

“Let’s go then,” Wanda said with a smile.

This time, they fought fiercer than ever before. Everything was at stake and they actually had a chance of winning now.

Everyone around him disappeared from focus as Steve focused on being the best spellcaster that he could be. With the assistance of one of the Norwegians, one the called Valkyrie, they took down two of Thanos’ cronies.

He didn’t know what was going on beside him, but the others had taken down a few more. Now there was only one man standing between them and Thanos.

The man cast wildly sending spells in different directions, but eventually Sam was the one to send him sprawling. Now it was them and Thanos, and he didn’t really have any way out.

“Give up now!” Wanda shouted. “We win.”

Thanos chuckled. “I’ve never been one for surrender,” he said and then shouted. “Avada Kedavra.”

Steve didn’t see where his wand was pointed, but he knew it wasn’t good.

“You bitch!” counted a voice from behind them. Nebula staggered upright on weak knees, a bleeding cut in her side. “You don’t get to survive this!”

“My daughter, what are you going to do,” he said. “You’re weak and powerless. I’m surprised they even let you come.”

“Fuck you!” she exclaimed before pulling something out her pocket. It was a knife. She launched it at her father and, well, there was no counterspell for a knife, so it flew straight into Thanos’ skull, causing him to fall back, his eyes sealed open in a permanent expression of fear.

Steve looked around to see who else was standing. He panicked when he saw Bucky wasn’t among them and then saw him in a pool of blood.

He ran to his boyfriend’s side. Bucky’s entire left arm had been removed from his body.

“Merlin’s beard!” Steve exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

“Take off your shirt,” Bucky mumbled weakly.

“Buck, I love you, but this is hardly the time,” he replied with a shake of his head.

“Take it off. Rip it up. Tie it from my shoulder to my other side as tightly as possible,” he ordered. “It should hold me over until I can get actual help. I mean, I’m still conscious now, aren’t I?”

Steve nodded and did exactly what he said, pressing a kiss to his lips when he had finished.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Some asshole cast Confringo and it blew off my fucking arm,” he gritted out.

“Well, at least it was just your arm,” Steve said. “Buck, if I lost you…”

“You didn’t and you won’t,” Bucky said. “We’re fine. Arm or no arm.”

Steve leaned forward and kissed Bucky again for a few moments, just happy that they were there together.

“I can take it from here,” Bruce announced after he pulled away. “Er, uh, with the healing part. I’ve got some potions in my pack that can seal everything right up.”

“Okay,” Steve said. “Can I stay here with him?”

Bruce shook his head. “There are more people that need you right now that are tied up and such. He’ll be fine and you two can meet up afterward.”

He left and untied Gamora, who immediately made her way to Peter Quill and yelled at him for getting hit by jelly-legs again.

“Steve,” Wanda called in a wavering voice. “You need to come here.”

“What is it?” he asked, but his question was answered when he looked down at the ground.

There laid Peter Parker, completely lifeless. Steve dropped to his knees as tears continued to drip down his face. He had wanted to spare Peter from the fight, but he had given in. Now Peter was dead, and that was probably on him.

“You can’t blame yourself,” Wanda told him.

He shook his head. “He wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t caught me sneaking off to the meeting.”

“Thanos cast Avada Kedavra and he jumped in front of me,” she said in a shaky voice. She was crying too. “It should have been me. Not the kid.”

“It’s not your fault,” he muttered. “You couldn’t have stopped him. Peter’s a hero. He never should have gotten hurt much less  _ killed _ , but he’s a hero.”

Tony wandered over with wide eyes that quickly turned to anger. “This is on you, Rogers,” he spat before walking away.

“It’s not,” Wanda said. “He’s just an asshole. There’s nothing we could’ve done to stop him. Peter just wanted to help people and he wasn’t scared to do it. You’re right, Steve, he’s more of a hero than the rest of us ever could’ve been.”

Sam arrived and pulled Steve away from Peter’s body. “It’s alright,” he assured him. “Everything is going to be alright.”

Except it wasn’t. Peter Parker was dead and there was nothing that anyone could do. Sure, it was the causality of a war that they had won, but it was more personal because Peter had been Steve’s friend and now he was gone forever.

Bucky walked up to join them and wrapped his remaining arm around Steve’s shoulder. He was probably jacked up on Bruce’s pain potions, but he was all healed up and that was what mattered.

They walked out of the building together. They had lost so much but, in the end, they had won. Sure, it hurt like hell right now, but it was going to make the future easier for generations to come.


End file.
